Rooy Typewriter, At Last

More on manuals here and here.

It was quite a search. I concluded that there were basically two choices to ever owning one of these things. As usual I was wrong. You can read more about Rooys here. To some, this very compact and interestingly designed typewriter is considered a “holy grail”. But now that I have one, I would never go so far.

It’s just a neat old typewriter. Seriously.

The two choices that I had to deal with are/were: I would have to get a Rooy with a AZERTY keyboard (French) – as they are sometimes available in France. But I have a hard enough time having to switch between QWERTZ & QWERTY. The other choice would be to sell a few body parts to be able to afford one. But I like having both my kidneys. I know it sounds silly, but get this: last year I watched an auction on that silly-auction-website where a person in Kentucky, USA, was selling a clean, QWERTY Rooy with a “buy-it-now” button. He wanted fifteen hundred dollars for the thing. Thank goodness, he didn’t sell it.

I got (real) lucky. I think.

I was watching the German version of that silly-auction-website and came across something one night that immediately drew my attention. I knew that the German owner didn’t know what he was actually selling. The sticker on the top of the machine says “Union” and so, he titled his auction something like: “Union Schreibmaschine – Hergestellt in Canada. Alt aber im guten zustand. Etc., etc.” Talk about clueless. He mistook an English spelling of a patent notification on the inside cover of the machine for the country of manufacture.

What’s the old saying? One man’s sorrow is another man’s… Whatever.

The design of this machine is unmistakably Rooy. There is no other typewriter like it. You open it up, fold it over, lay it on top of itself and that’s that. You do the opposite to close it up. The cover is literally the bottom of the machine when you open it up and supports the typing mechanics with a unique drop-down doorway that allows such a thin design. This machine was sold as the thinnest typewriter ever. How mistaken the marketing pundits were. It’s only “thin” when it’s folded up. Still, it is in demand among typing enthusiasts – including yours truly. I searched for the right one for more than a year. I have touched and smelled and felt Rooys at various German, Belgian and French antique markets where owners proudly say: “Two hundred Euros – but you have to buy it now because someone else is very interested.” At the next market I see the same guy and machine and he wants three hundred. Yeah.

When I found this one on that silly-auction-website I laughed at the Frenchman. Then I ended up bidding against a few others who I suspect also realized what was actually being sold. In the end it was the most I ever paid for an old, mechanical typewriter. (But it was also less then what the Frenchman was asking.) It was worth it because it has the right keyboard and it was/is in great shape. Needless to say, I was nervous waiting for the mail-man to deliver it.

This particular Rooy is branded “Union”. It was not uncommon for manufacturers to re-label their products for various markets. I’m assuming that this brand was part of what was sold to the German, i.e. QWERTZ market. It was in such good shape when it arrived and required only a few hours of elbow-grease before I was typing away. But after a bird’s-eye view of this machine, it’s really not worth the fuss – unless you get it for cheap. Call me a stickler. Sure the design is neat but the thing is… my Hermes and Kolibri are both smaller and flatter and nothing, other than a Lettera 22, types as good as the Hermes. But who cares. It’s a Rooy.

No rant today.

-tgs-