Historical information

Was purchased in 1974 at Eastern Office Supplies and was used by the donor for many years.

Significance

OLYMPIA==> see also BRUMSVIGA + MONROE|The company started after the invention of the 'Pointing Typewriter' MIGNON by Friedrich v.Hefner-Alteneck, engineer of AEG (=ALLGEMEINE ELEKTRIZITAETSGESELLSCHAFT) in Berlin: In 1903 a company was founded to produce the >>MIGNON<<, the UNION SCHREIBMASCHINENGESELLSCHAFT. In 1923 the company moved to Erfurt and was renamed AEG DEUTSCHE WERKE. In 1930 it was renamed EUROPA SCHREIBMASCHINEN. Until the end of production in 1933, there were 49 different Font-Cylinders available. Their new typewriters were very successful under the name >>OLYMPIA<<, and in 1936 the company was renamed again OLYMPIA BUEROMASCHINEWERKE. In WWII the factory was destroyed. 'Leftovers' in Erfurt (East-Germany) became OPTIMA BUEROMASCHINEWERKE a GDR-run business - Former employees founded in Wilhemshaven (West-Germany) the new OLYMPIA WERKE under AEG share-holding. OLYMPIA's peak was in the 1970s when it was the largest producer of office machines in Germany. The rise of small-computers organization of Daimler-Benz/AEG/Olympia, the OLYMPIA branch was sold and the new owner in Asia formed the OLYMPIA INTERNATIONAL HOLDING LTD.

Physical description

Traveller De Luxe Portable Typewriter. Olympia (1973) Wilhemshaven Germany. German Qwerty Keyboard; pica 10cpi; 83cp; Black/White/Red ribbon; plastic case; Weight 11lbs/5kg.Purchased from Eastern Office Supplies, Railway Road, Blackburn.

Inscriptions & markings

Olympia 1973