An interesting find

My sister had called and tipped me off about a typewriter she'd seen at Butler Antiques & Collectibles for eight dollars. At a price like that, I assumed that it must be broken, but at a price like that, I'd gladly buy a broken one. If nothing else, it could be a repair project.



The newest addition to my collection,
a Marxwriter children's typewriter.

Upon further investigation, we found out that it was a Marxwriter children's typewriter. It was marketed as an educational toy, but it is a functioning typewriter. Other toy typewriters I've seen involve selecting the desired letter with a wheel and then pushing down on a one-piece keyboard. The Marxwriter has a three-row keyboard, which types in capital letters only. The shift key raises the numbers and symbols.

Of course, for the price, there was no way I could resist. My 4-year-old nephew was instantly fascinated with it, so it might make a nice gift for him after he gets a little older and I've made a few minor repairs to the machine.

For collectors who may be interested, Butler Antiques & Collectibles also had a very old electric IBM model. It had obviously seen better days, and the shop quite honestly labeled it as "not sure if works." I'm not very interested in electric models, so I didn't inquire further.