Ideal Typewriter with Hebrew Keyboard. Germany, 1937

Very rare Ideal typewriter made in Germany in 1937. The article is in good condition and excellent working order, boasting a stylized and decorative design. It keeps all its original components in and can be used to type texts just the first day of use. What makes this typewriter so special is the alphabet that the types print, as it is designed to type Hebrew texts. In order to do that the keyboard is composed of Hebrew letters, a very uncommon feature difficult to find in this kind of typewriters. It seems that the machine was adapted from a former Greek model; we can figure this out of some keys such as the tabulator or the shift key, with words written in this language.The typewriters design is highly attractive, with wide openings in the iron body that lighten its weight and let us see the inner mechanism of this piece. The black lacquer that protects the metal is in good condition and so are the keys, the inscriptions and logos and the rest of the machines components. Just over the carriage we can see the brand name, Ideal, in big golden letters and accompanied by the usual word NEUMANN in smaller letters. To the right of the keyboard rests the companys logo, a golden circle with a black hexagon inside where there are two white letters: SM. As stated before, just like many other vintage typewriters this one shows several openings in both sides and the rear. This windows enhance its design and increase its aesthetical interest.This Ideal typewriter is a newer version of model C which was launched in 1919. Some of its feature (the simpler logo and the modernized calligraphy of the brands name) bring it closer to model D, produced in 1945. Nevertheless, it still keeps some important features of the former model such as the visible typebars or the openings in the iron body. The first Ideal typewriter was designed by E. E. Barney and Frank Tanner (USA) and was patented in 1897. Though, it was produced in German Seidel & Neumann factory, a company that manufactured sewing machines and bicycles. The first model, Ideal A, resulted in several versions (A, A2 and A3).This typewriters rarity turns it into a real museum piece, a great find for a good expert in typewriters from the early 20th century.