The Oliver typewriter is one of my favorite machines: Invented by Thomas Oliver, who was born in 1852, the machine has a “down strike” design with type slugs that move from above instead of below, which is where the “batwing” nickname comes from.
Because these were “visible print” machines with strong key-striking power, they were often used for specialty work, like stencil cutting or making copies using carbon paper.
The Oliver typewriter company liquidated in 1928 and was purchased by folks who made “The British Oliver Typewriter Company.” The Oliver typewriters were manufactured until this company closed, too. The last machine was made in 1959.
The Oliver No. 5 shown here is my own machine. It needs some work.
Recently, my partner and I discovered an empty case at a flea market and sold it on eBay. Somewhere, a happy Oliver owner is getting ready to reunite their machine with a case!
