

Just as there are Coke people and Pepsi people, Ford people and Chevy people, there are Smith-Corona people and Olympia people. Each feels very passionately about their brand of choice and would probably give up their favorite hunting dog before relinquishing their S-C Silent-Super or Olympia SM.
People sometimes wonder what the model designations SG, SM, and SF stand for. For the record, they are:
SG = Schreibmaschine Groß ("Big Typewriter")
SM = Schreibmaschine Mittelgroß ("Medium-size Typewriter")
SF = Schreibmaschine Flach ("Flat Typewriter")
|

Olympia Progress
Serial # 260856
1939

|
|

Olympia SM3
Serial # 608175
1955
Emeritus Collection

A fine machine to write on, and popular among writers. The SM3 and SM4 have a clever leveling device built into the keys. Underneath each is a stiff spring, and the vertical portion of the bar is slotted into the horizontal, allowing the key to remain parallel to the tabletop when depressed.
Download the manual for this typewriter here. |

Olympia SG-1
Serial # 7-388548
1958

|

Olympia SM4
Serial #s 1555015 & 1690159
1961


The SM4 differs from the SM3 primarily by the addition of automatic tab set/clear keys on either side of the spacebar. There is also a little handle on the side behind the right-hand platen knob that clears all of the tab sets at once.
|

Olympia SM5
Serial # 2149471
1962

The SM5 was the last Olympia of this style before it was superceded by the SM7. The main way to tell a SM5 from a SM3 is the glossy paint. On closer inspection, one would also notice that the margin sets have been tucked down behind the paper feed just above the manual tab sets. Under the hood, there is also no touch selector or soundproofing material. Less obvious is the lack of the individual spring levelers underneath the keys that made the SM3 and SM4 so finger-friendly. |

Olympia SF
Serial # 95-712275
1963

|

Olympia SG-1
Serial # 7-928332
1963
Emeritus Collection

Just completely massive. This typer means business! If I were to walk into a 1960s office building and see a room full of these, I would probably fear that they would revolt and enslave mankind. It is probably best that not more than one of these be in anyone's collection, lest they conspire. |
|

Olympia SM9
Serial # 2512069
1964

Larger than its predecessors, and not really a portable any longer. The SM9 is another Olympia popular with writers. One might be surprised to learn that there were four different versions of the SM9 over the years. |

Olympia Socialite
Serial # 95 7010160
c. 1965

The Socialite is built upon the SF chassis, and is essentially the same machine in a different shell. It is, however, somewhat smaller than the SF. |

Olympia SM9 "DeLuxe"
Serial # 3078884
1966

|

Olympia SG-3
Serial # 7-4158664
c.1977

|