Although they were all drastically overpriced, I did see some interesting machines at the El Paso Antique Mall today. They were all in the same booth (explains the consistently over-the-top prices), and there were only four, but these are better results than I have ever had from El Paso. Take a look:
Corona 3
This poor Cor (hey look, I can rhyme!) was still in much better shape than my own 3, the only real issue being a disconnected draw band. Still, that doesn't justify $95.
Sitting right under the Corona, closed inside the case, was this
Royal Aristocrat:
I have had plenty of these "Safari Style" machines. Good typers and good lookers, but this thing is a piece of junk. No wonder they hid it in the case. Price? $55, of course.
Another machine that was hidden away in a case was this
Royal Deluxe:
Although it had quite a few marks on the paint, it would clean up well. Everything worked ok, and it was pretty clean aside from a mountain of eraser shavings under the carriage. $85 is still too much.
Now, this one is just a joke. The poor
Smith-Corona Clipper shown here has half of its keys put on upside down.
It's a simple fix, but honestly... $55 is just way too much.
The last and only machine that had me tempted at all was this lovely Remington Portable:
Remingtons of this age are really fantastic machines, and this one has the much prettier early body style. It even predates the name "Quiet-Riter" that was soon put into use. (Here's my
Quiet-Riter) It is in fantastic shape, and has a ton of extras not pictured. Still, I am not ready to drop $75 on it.
So, that was all I got for an hour of searching. Better than nothing, I guess!
