Superb 1906-1910 Antique American Corona No.3 Portable Typewriter In Working Order with case

Superb 1906-1910 Antique American Corona No.3 Portable Typewriter In Working Order with case


This is in great condition


Will be sent via 48hr courier


Some objects have an appeal that takes them far beyond mere function. The Corona 3 folding typewriter is just such a device. It had a long list of celebrity adherents, including Ernst Hemmingway and Jack London. It was a typewriter that appealed to executives as well as clerks, authors and presidents. It could be found not only in offices, on trains and in hotel rooms, but also on World War One battlefields, up mountains and on jungle expeditions. It was also the first commercially successful typewriter and retained its appeal for nearly thirty years after the first one was made in 1912.

The Corona 3 has been wrenched from obscurity to become a highly desirable and fashionable accessory. People are now using them to type wedding invitations or at the reception itself to enable guests to type good luck messages for the bride and groom. It is making its way onto the set of television programmes. Henri Leclair, the suave French man who is head of display in the ITV television series ‘Mr Selfridge’ owns one.


This particular model, like all Corona 3s, was made in a factory at Groton, just outside New York. When it was made in 1915 it was the high tech gadget that everyone wanted.


There are strong parallels with a modern ultra portable laptop. The Corona 3 is finished in a shiny black high tech looking colour. To use the device you take it from its purpose-made case, fold back the carriage, just like you would unfold the screen on a laptop, and you are ready to work.

Both laptop and typewriter are as light as the technology would allow at the time, with the Corona having an aluminium body. Aluminium was a new material at the time and helped bring the weight down to just over 6lbs. The type bars and mechanical parts were made from steel for robustness.

Coronas had a reputation for toughness as well as portability. The Corona 3 saw active service in World War One, with both the British and French armies ordering large quantities of them.

Back in 1915 a businessman away from the office would have found the Corona the answer to his prayers. Business correspondence was done by typewritten letter. Handwritten notes were unprofessional. If you were away from the office how could you communicate? The Corona 3 was the answer; it was light to carry and you could make sure those important letters to clients got sent when you were away, just as you can with email today.


When Corona launched this model in 1906-1910 they sold like hot cakes. Corona, a new entrant in the typewriter business, found that the world was waiting for an easy to use portable typewriter.


Corona was still making Corona 3s in New York in 1941 when America joined the Second World War.