Antique Underwood 5 Typewriter. Spanish Keyboard. USA circa 1925

Beautiful antique Underwood typewriter with Spanish keyboard, made in 1925 and refinished in red enamel. This machine has been entirely restored to a like new condition, and today is a collectors piece for its amazing finish, applied by a prestigious artisan from Barcelona. This professional was a renowned worker and his services were pricey and exclusive, as he had to dismantle the typewriters and restore each one of the component parts and decals. This one stands out for its striking beauty, enhanced by the bright red enamel and the golden inscriptions. The silvery metal parts are shiny and fine-looking, while the keys are original and complete, with perfectly-visible white letters and symbols on black background. Over the carriage we can see the brand name Underwood in golden lettering, with the logo depicting a typewriter on a blue acronym with a U and a T. This antique Underwood 5 typewriter with Spanish keyboard is an exclusive piece, very special and with a huge decorative power. Underwood Typewriters History The Underwood Typewriter Company was founded in 1895 by John T. Underwood. The family business made typewriter ribbon and carbon paper from 1874, but when some of their clients (such as famous Remington brand) started making their own supplies, they considered starting to manufacture typewriters. The first model produced was a design by Franz Xavier Wagner who showed it to J. T. Underwood: then, the Underwood No. 1 was born. The Underwood No. 5 launched in 1900 has been described as "the first truly modern typewriter". Two million had been sold by the early 1920s, and its sales were equal in quantity to all of the other firms in the typewriter industry combined. In 1959, Olivetti bought a controlling interest in Underwood and completed the merger in October 1963, becoming known in the US as Olivetti-Underwood with headquarters in New York City, and entering the electromechanical calculator business. The Underwood name last appeared on Olivetti portable typewriters produced in Spain in the 80s.