1956 Smith Corona Sterling typewriter w/case, new ribbon. Working beautifully.

Description

I don't offer a typewriter at auction here on eBay until after I've spent several hours with the machine. Disassembly and cleaning with compressed air, solvents and brushes is almost always the first step (see the last photo above). Repairs and adjustments frequently involve visits to my shelves of parts machines. After reassembly, time is spent at the keyboard on testing and retesting of every function. When I think everything is right it's time to type a specimen page for the typewriter's listing -- and a close examination of that page often prompts another round of fine adjustments. As they say, lather, rinse, repeat . . .
I enjoy this process -- some people work crossword puzzles; I restore typewriters. I wanted you to know that the machines I present here are not to be confused with the bulk of the "found in Uncle Joe's basement and gee, it seems to work" typewriters that populate these listings.
Offered here is a strikingly well preserved example of a classic Smith-Corona portable: a 1956 Sterling, properly set up and ready for use right out of its original tweed carrying case, complete with its locking key and the original user manual. I've cleaned, adjusted and lubricated this machine and have wound a fresh ink ribbon onto its vintage steel spools.
Every feature of this typewriter now functions as was intended in the year of its manufacture -- I'm satisfied with the action of every key, every linkage, every control. Here's a short clip of the Sterling at work:
1956 Smith-Corona Sterling typewriter demo
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Sixty-five years old and working like new: It no longer surprises me when a Smith-Corona of this vintage restores so very well. These "super-5" portables from the 1950s are famously durable machines. This model line gets near-unanimous praise and respect from collectors and users of vintage typewriters. Authors who have used this series of machines include Arthur Miller, T.S. Eliot, Kurt Vonnegut, Dr. Seuss and e.e. cummings.
The Smith-Corona typing touch is beloved among typists -- it's quick and light, with a parallelogram design in the linkages which keeps each key flat through its stroke. The SCM marketing people called this feature "comfort touch."
This generation of Smith-Corona typewriters was introduced in the fall of 1949 and was sold for more than a decade. The Sterling (prefix 5A) was the middle machine in the line and included a system for setting tabs that will remind you where the word comes from -- tip back the rear carriage cover and there they are, tabs of metal that fit into a slotted bar behind the platen.
The type size you see here is pica: at 10 characters to the inch, it's the larger of the two most common typewriter print sizes. The new ribbon should last for hundreds of pages, and replacements are widely available on eBay and from amazon. (I hope you'll save the vintage steel spools and wind your new ribbon onto them when the day comes -- it's the work of a couple of minutes, and they share an essential quality with the typewriter that contains them: nobody makes these anymore.)
For a sense of the cosmetics, please enlarge the photos. This machine is clean, and its mechanical works are free of corrosion. The platen is in serviceable condition, but I always advise using a second sheet behind your primary page when working with a typewriter of this vintage. This machine's most notable blemishes are on the back panel, most likely from transits in and out of the carrying case.
1956 was one of the last years the Sterling was manufactured with the classic green keys. The tweed case is solid and protects the typewriter well.
Most important here, in my view, is the excellent impression this typewriter places on the page. This typewriter displays beautifully -- but if you seek a machine for serious use, the quality of the specimen page should weigh heavily in your shopping decision. These images, and the video clip, are closest thing I can offer to a test-drive here on eBay.
I'm careful about packing typewriters for shipment; if you have worries on this point, perusing my seller feedback should put you at ease. Please be in touch if you have any questions about the condition, use or care of this machine.