Rare GOLD PLATED "James Bond" Royal Quiet De Luxe Portable Typewriter 1953

Description

A rare 1953 gold plated Royal Quiet De Luxe portable typewriter, in excellent working condition.
Originally designed as a 50th Anniversary model, these scarce gold-plated models were also given out to company employees or to student winners of writing contests (at typewriter stores), and were available for special order. Famously, Ian Fleming ordered this very model for his Goldeneye estate, and wrote all of his James Bond novels on it.  (Ian Fleming's model sold for just over ,000 in 1995 - the highest price ever paid for a typewriter).
This example is in excellent working condition, with a new ribbon installed. Cosmetically, it is in very good condition overall, with some wear starting to show through the gold plating at the corners and to a lesser extent at the base (which is very typical for these typewriters...Royal notoriously used very thin gold plating). In general the gold plate is very shiny (as evidenced by the fact that you can see my polka-dot shirt reflected!) and bright. There is a gold plaque attached at the front, indicating that this typewriter was given as a gift to the president of the Iowa Jaycees in 1953. The plaque has very tiny screws, and could be removed if desired.
Typing sample is included in photos.
Original case is included, as well...it shows some wear, but is generally solid and clean.
Typewriter weighs just over 17 pounds, so please keep that in mind when calculating shipping costs.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, and thank you for your interest!