Ideal B Typewriter. Very Good Condition. American Design. Manufactured in Germany, 1915

This amazing typewriter, quite decorative and with an undeniable personality, is an Ideal B machine made in Germany in the early 19th century (1915). The excellent condition this typewriter is in is a remarkable feature: it looks great and works fine. Its mechanism has been revised and cleaned so the typewriter can be perfectly used to type documents. Its design is classic and elegant, and the original black enamel that covers the cast-iron body is in impressively good condition. The decals and inscriptions printed on the typewriter are also almost impeccably preserved. Ideal typewriters were patented in 1897 by American designers E.E. Barney and Frank Tanner. The production was assumed by Siedel & Neumann (Dresden, Germany), a sewing machine and cycle factory that launched the first version in 1900. The Ideal B was the second model and appeared in 1913. It was a standard 4-row typewriter, very similar to the famous Underwood. Seidel & Neumann also launched another typewriter, this one under the Erika name. This typewriters keyboard is composed of circular pieces with black background and white symbols. They all bear the classic nickel-plated reinforcement rings. Over the carriage we can see the models name, Ideal B, printed in fine silvery letterings. There is also a decal with the manufacturing companys monogram, SN, printed to the left, just over the keyboard. The typewriters body has side and rear openings that let us see the inner mechanism; this feature provides the design with lightness and interest. Classic and fine-looking, this lovely Ideal B typewriter is a real witness of the early times of typing. A wonderful collectors piece.