1969 Olympia SM9 / “Pearl" - Read About Me - I Have Character and More - MINT

Description

Short Story…
If you’re seeking a retro style typewriter that types modern, Pearl is your girl…  “Modern” meaning that it has the same “guts” as the 1970 to 1978 Olympia SM9’s.  Pearl is more quiet than most of the SM9's but still has plenty of power and is quite snappy...
Pearl’s Story…
Well, I’ll be darn…  1969 is the year I was born in West Germany even though I thought I was born in Centerville, Tennessee.  And, 1969 happens to be where I spent most of my life at the Grand Ole Opry before getting thrown in a dang dark case (there are choices for a case).  Well, I got the name Pearl because of my sticker/price tag on my cover, which KB believes that it gives me some character, and I’d say Minnie Pearl, that’s me, definitely has “character…”
Well, you might think I was some hick on the TV show, but I actually went to Ward-Belmont College in Nashville, which was considered a “finishing school” for the wealthy/powerful families of middle Tennessee along with students from around the country…  I’m pretty simple like most of the typewriters KB has been selling since there’s nothing wrong with me.  KB is about done selling the SM3’s because it’s rare when he gets one that performs like me.  If you want an Olympia SM3, bite the bullet or save a little more and buy a reconditioned unit that should cost around ,000…  It will be worth it in the long run.
KB also named me Pearl instead of Minnie cause I certainly ain’t “Mini” since I’m an SM9.  They call us SM’s from Olympia, which stands for
Schreibmaschine Mittelgroß
(medium sized), a "
portable,"
but we aren’t truly portable like an Olivetti Lettera 22 or 32.  Of course, if you want to type with a little toy like the Lettera’s, by my guest because that’s what they feel like compared to me.
I’m also named Pearl since I’m quite snappy and if you type pretty fast, I’m your girl.  Although, if you type 100+ on a typewriter, you should buy Johnnie instead of me.  Please know that I'm NOT very noisy as some of the SM9's KB has.  As Minnie Pearl, I came from an upstanding family in Tennessee and you’ll know this when you see the chrome and highest quality materials ever put on a machine in KB’s opinion.  The 1970-1978 still used GREAT stuff and they are a 10 on a 1-10 scale, but I’m an 11 all day and night long…
Hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know me better, and I hope you’ll have me in your home or office as soon as humanly possible.  I’m sure KB’s gonna throw me back into a dark box just like what happened after these dang computers and word processing programs got introduced.  I do agree with KB in that if you want to get a blank page filled up the quickest, buy me or one of my SM9 friends.  You could buy an Olympia SM3 if you already have an SM9 or if KB gets lucky and finds a great one that will only work like an average SM9.
Please read what KB said about me and check out my photo shoot, which makes me look worse than I am by the way…  And, let KB know if you want to sticker off, but he thinks you need to keep me just like I am...
KB Here…
Pearl is the FIRST SM9 (out of about 200ish) that I've ever bought that still had the sticker on the front cover.
I think it REALLY gives her from personality.  Not a lot to say about her other that she's mint and everything works right out of the box...  AND, PLEASE don't buy her if you want to take the sticker off any time soon.  Most typewriter sold for between and 0 at this time, and I only saw and used the cheap ones as my family wasn't prominent like Minnie Pearl's family.
I thought she looked good, but I wasn't sure if she'd beat Aniston, who is working in Texas right now and LOVING IT!!!  It's a tie between her and Aniston, in my opinion.  I'm trying to figure out what to do about the case right now, and I can save you at least if you want a case that isn't as good as Pearl's.
I WILL PAY shipping back and forth if the typewriter is not as described or broken, but I want to see if there's an easy adjustment that will get your typewriter working correctly before I pay for shipping back and forth since it's expensive and will cause me to raise my prices.
To Save Time for you reading through my typewriters I think by rating (based on the 100’s of typewriters I’ve used in the past) what I look for in a typewriter geared for a writer is the best way to get a lot of information quickly.  Also, PLEASE read my typing sample where I am actually using the typewriter and discussing what's good and what's not so good...
Rating/Review
Rating Scale – 1 Terrible, 5 Good, 10 GREAT / Approximately on 4/15/20 I stopped giving typewriter scores higher than 10 to avoid confusion.  Please understand that I'm comparing my typewriter to ALL manual typewriters on eBay in which most are straight from estate sales and the buyer is afraid to clean, etc. because of possibly doing damage to the typewriter
Platen and Rollers    11
VERY Soft and Quiet, yet Playful
Ease to get mark      10
Get a mark was NO PROBLEM - This will definitely help you write more that what you planned on writing...
How Snappy is it      10
Minnie Pearl is SNAPPY - Like her character on Hee Haw
Exterior Condition     11  I know I'm supposed to stop at 10 to reduce confusion, but Pearl is absolutely AMAZING even though there are a couple of spots that I was afraid to get off as seen in the pictures!!!
Mechanics             11
Remember the 68' and 69's have better materials that the 70 to 78 SM9's... Everything is in tip-top shape -
Tabs are working for me as I did test this typewriter and used the tabs for my paragraphs,
BUT I CANNOT GUARANTEE THE TAB SYSTEMS, OR I WOULD HAVE TO RAISE MY PRICES.  If it’s a deal breaker, please contact me.
Quality of Machine    11
The quality of the Olympias are unparalleled, especially after being check through and cleaned out.  Actually, there's more quality in these 68-69 machines compared to the boxier white 1970-78 SM9's.  The chrome is UNBELIEVABLE
Cleanliness           10
You can see how clean she is
Ribbon – All are New  11
Just got a new shipment from Ribbon Unlimited, and these ribbons are especially wet.  Also, they have a bigger rivet to help the mechanism change directions.
Backspace Key         10
The backspace works especially GREAT and is REALLY SOLID / It's almost silent - Best backspace action I can remember - Same as Johnny
Return Smoothness      9
Solid, quiet, and smooth (no escapement problems whatsoever)
Feet                  10
Feet are great, like most Olympia SM9's
Case – Looks          10
Case is in excellent shape, but I can change it and save you .  The case I'll use when protect just as well as the case in the pics.  I could take off without a case, but these cases REALLY protect these typewriters, especially the way I pack them.
Case – Hinges/Lock Key?  10
No key for the lock.
History of this model  11
Kurt Vonnegut, Neal Simon, Sam Shepard, Tennessee Williams (SM8), Harlan Ellison, Jon Cleary, J.G. Ballard, Marguerite Yourcenar, and Paul Auster wrote a book about his Olympia…
Pica or Elite        Olympia Pica - 10 Pitch/Characters per inch
* Snappy
, to me, is how fast the hammer hits the paper and goes back down, which is VERY important for someone that types 40-50 WPM or more.  Also, more important for those who use all their fingers.
* Quality of Machine
– This is based mainly based on how expensive was the machine at the time (A Mercedes (Olympia) costed more than a Chevy (Royal) or Ford (Smith-Corona)) – Note that the Silent Super is more like a Loaded Lincoln, in my opinion if it was cared for
* Cleanliness
is how I’m comparing this machine to other decent typewriters on eBay. (12 would mean as clean as a restored one)
* History
– What authors used a typewriter like this one?
*** ALSO, I am comparing this particular to all the Smith Corona’s, Hermes, Royal’s, Facit’s, Olivetti’s, and some supposed high-quality German typewriters I’ve used and done 200+ typing samples with…
Pricing
My thoughts on pricing - 5 for a mint/new 1969 SM9 and Case AND
PRICE STICKER - VERY RARE
Minus – Just in case I missed something
Minus - There are some very small brown dustlike debris by the spacebar
Minus - There are some white specs on the spacebar from whiteout, which will completely come off with regular use
OPTIONAL - I Can Take another off and send with a scratched protective case that doesn't have the plastic holder to keep the typewriter in place.  However, Pearl will be FINE to keep dust off it and should you ship it where it's going to get banged around, you can simply wrap it a couple of times with some shrink wrap.
Plus -  {{detail_product_description}} - This is MINT/NEW Typewriter that's ready to work!!!
Comments about the pricing
For what I do, I should be charging between an estate sale typewriter and a restored model and probably more towards the restored model end since I've cleaned/serviced and sold over 275 typewriters.  Usually, a decent Olympia SM9 goes for 0 plus shipping and a restored one goes for 0 plus shipping.  So, my price at 5 is quite fair since this typewriter performs close to the restored level (that's a big promise, I know).
Below is the same for all my listings
This is a summary of what I do for each typewriter I sell:
- Select the best typewriters for writing from my research and my personal experience of trying MANY different typewriters that were used by famous writers
- Make sure all the functions are working properly and if it’s something difficult, I take it to a repair professional.
- Clean and dust typewriter along with using a cleaner that gets the WD40 oils out that are BAD for typewriters and leaves an extremely light protectant against rust, etc. in the future (Nu-Trol Control Cleaner for Electronics (Phoenix Typewriters swears by it)
- Clean out typebars, as you can see in the picture, and this is why my typing samples look so good.  I do clean out the typebars BEFORE I do the typing sample.  So, you’ll see some black on the typebars when your machine arrives
- Make sure that the capital and lowercase letters are aligned and hitting the platen where they should be
- Clean out the typewriter case and will often make small repairs and/or reinforcements if needed
- Check and flush out the encasement if needed so that your typewriter returns smoothly/quietly or I note and reduce the price
- Make sure the rubber feet are acceptable and will use a rubber rejuvenator for the feet and also a platen rejuvenator if needed
- Your return shipping is covered by me if the typewriter is not working like I explain in the writing sample (I will not pay for repairs, see note below)
- Polish chrome parts and compound wax typewriters with smooth finishes.
- Take off the clear card holder that's on the right and left side of where the typehead hits the paper and clean along with making adjustments if needed
- Carefully pack your typewriter in a custom-sized box and will secure the carriage to avoid shipping damage.
- Will usually mail/ship out the same day if you buy before 11:00 am and can sometimes after but will definitely mail the following day at no extra cost.  I put 1 day to make sure I can follow through.
- Please note that shipping the typewriter properly is the most important factor of buying a typewriter in my opinion. You must lock the carriage, stuff the basket with bubble wrap, engage the shift lock key, and shrink wrap the carriage so it will not move AT ALL. Otherwise, you will have escapement problems causing the typewriter to make a grinding sound when you make your rewarding carriage return to your next line to your next page without distractions!!!
Also, your typewriter will come in a new custom-sized box to ensure its typing for you like it’s been typing for me.
If this is your first typewriter purchase, it’s going to take a little while to get used to snapping your fingers instead of the tapping we have done for years on a computer keyboard.  You certainly do not have to buy my typewriter, but I would strongly suggest that you buy one that is working really, really well.  The first typewriter I bought was a piece of crap because I was in grad school without any money.  I was done with typewriting until I saw Tom Hanks talking about the Hermes 2000, Olympia SM3, and the Smith Corona 5 series.  I bit the bullet and got a decent Hermes 2000 (like Tom did) and have been hooked ever since.  That Hermes worked great, and I got a Smith Corona 5 series Sterling that worked okay but required more finger strength to get a mark.  However, if you plan on using your typewriter, I highly recommend the Olympia SM9 over the SM3 because it has a basket shift making is a lot better on your pinkies.  Plus, the platen is going to be 10+ years newer.
Happy Typing,
KBtyperunner... Growing Typewriting One Typewriter at a Time...
NOTE:
If your typewriter is damaged from shipping or is not performing like it was when it left my home, I will pay to have the typewriter shipped back so you are not out a penny. I cannot contribute to an adjustment or improvement from a professional repair shop. You are getting charged hundreds less than typewriters in their shops, and these professionals are likely to find something that doesn’t meet their high standards, hence their rightfully higher priced machines. If this is the case and if you decide to pay in order to get the adjustments, etc., you will still save hundreds and have an even better typewriter for decades to come.
NOTE TWO: IF YOUR TYPEWRITER ARRIVES IN THE CONDITION AS DESCRIBED AND YOU SIMPLY DO NOT LIKE IT, I WILL ACCEPT THE RETURN, BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY SHIPPING BOTH WAYS