Machine Details
Royal
Quiet De Luxe
1953 (New York)
RA-2933852
Permanent Collection
Royal Vogue, Elite, 11cpi
Carriage
QWERTY
Portable
Manual Electric
14.25 × 12 × 6"
≈12.625 lbs.
Yes
Machine Description
Nearly Missed this Rare Machine
Telling myself I didn’t need another typewriter, I almost avoided even taking a look at this machine as it sat on the floor of a Burbank shop. The case looked standard. Inside sat a typical-looking 1950s Royal Quiet De Luxe. Nothing special at first glance. The body was a bit dirty, some keys were stuck together (having been mashed all at once by a previous typer), and a few parts needed realignment.
Crouching on the shop floor, I spent 10 minutes getting it working properly. Just being helpful for the next buyer, I told myself.
Then, just to make sure the action was accurate, I typed a test line.
The Royal Vogue typeface stopped me cold. The Vogue typeface is a highly coveted, rare Art Deco sans-serif font found on Royal machines from the 1920s-50s, particularly the Royal P and Quiet De Luxe portable typewriters. Prized for its unusual, sleek, sans-serif design, it’s made of nicely rounded characters, and a unique, tilted lowercase “e” (see the type specimen).
The typing drew a small audience: other shoppers curious about the sounds of mechanical clatter from my typing tests. After some shared enthusiasm and collective try-outs, I bought it. It now lives in the permanent collection of the Hanttula Typeworks.
Serial Number Location:
Viewable from the top of the typewriter, on the upper left side of the frame (through a small opening), after moving the carriage to the right. Serial Number Location Image
Features
- Special Characters ¼ ½
- Tabulator
- Ribbon Selector Bichrome + Stencil
- Variable Line Spacing
- Margin Release
- Touch Selector
- Paper Support
- End-of-Page Indicator
- Pop-up Ribbon Cover
Condition Report
See notes
Snappy and solid
Moves freely
Clean and smooth, hardened but not terribly so
Smooth
Accurate
Types relatively cleanly
Correct
Excellent condition
Clear and clean
Chrome badge on front, clean
Good
Condition Notes
Scuffing & paint on body, chrome clean, minimal to no rust. A smear of white paint on the top ribbon cover area of the machine, some scuffing on the front right of the body
Case Condition Notes
The case shows signs of wear from decades of use. Overall good condition, though, with expected scuff marks. Some writing on the front exterior. Missing back left foot/pad. Green interior with white scuffing/scratches.
Provenance
Primary A, Shelf F
Related Resources
- Royal Quiet De Luxe (1952) Manual (PDF, via Richard Polt)
- Royal Quiet De Luxe Galleries on the Typewriter Database
- Walkthrough of all functions of a 1953 Royal Quiet De Luxe (from Brooksaw Antiques)
- Royal Quiet De Luxe on Wikipedia
- The Royal Vogue Typeface as a Font (Richard Polt)
- 'Royal Vogue Typewriter' 1929 font (Tomasz Skowroński)
Type Specimen
