Smith Corona 1968 Sterling 12 Typewriter W/case & Ribbon: Perfectly.
Item History & Price
This classic Smith-Corona Super Sterling 12 is typing beautifully. It has a freshly installed ink ribbon, comes in a sturdy Trimline carrying case, and is ready for immediate use. Everything works like new: every key, every linkage and every control -- right down to the bright end-of-line bell. Here's a short clip of the machine in action:Smith-Corona 1968 Sterling 12 typewriter demoVideo will open in a new window
Using the eBay App? Paste link into a browser window:[isdnt...ekvideo]
I've been at this hobby of collecting and fixing typewriters for about 40 years, and have worked with hundreds of Smith-Coronas. Smith-Corona applied the Sterling name to its middle tier of typewriters beginning in 1934, and the company's model line was never without a Sterling until Smith-Corona stopped making manual machines entirely some five decades later. There was the Sterling 1A, the 2A, 3A, 4A and then the 5A which had its legendary run through the 1950s. Next came a short-lived (and quite wonderful) transitional model, the Sterling 5AX, followed in 1966 by the Super Sterling. In 1968 the "super" modifier was dropped for this model, again simply the Sterling.
The pictures provided here illustrate the condition of this typewriter from every angle. The paint and chrome are clean and uncorroded. Except for two small modifications, this machine is bone-stock as from the factory. I reinforced the release levers on both ends of the carriage with marine epoxy, because these levers are known weak spots on Smith-Coronas of this era. And I upgraded with a visit to my parts shelves, installing the back panel from a Smith-Corona Electra, which has a useful pop-up paper support -- something the Sterling lacks.
This typewriter came to me in need of cleaning, adjustments and light repairs. (The original masking tape from the factory, meant to protect the paint during shipping, had never been removed. Scraping away 50-year-old tape is one of the less enjoyable aspects of typewriter restoration.) Then came testing, which for me means much more than a quick pass through the alphabet: to discover a problem that crops up only a couple times per page, you need to type a full page. Now I'm confident that everything works just right.
The clear image of a specimen page is what you need to see if you're serious about using a typewriter. Taken together, this printed sample and the demonstration video clip are as close as you can get, as an eBay buyer, to a test drive. The type pitch here is pica: 10 characters to the inch, the larger of the two most common sizes.
The Super Sterling is a substantial home portable -- some collectors call these models semi-portables or "luggables, " because while they do store away easily, they aren't going to be confused with lightweights made for travel. Packed in its case, this typewriter weighs 20 pounds, 7 ounces.
The impression this typewriter places on the page is clear and even. The typing touch is what you should expect from a correctly adjusted Smith-Corona: light and quick. (Each linkage includes a parallelogram which keeps the key level through its stroke. Smith-Corona's marketing people called this the "piano key" action.)
Ink ribbons to fit this typewriter abound here on eBay and from Amazon. But you won't need to replace this machine's ribbon anytime soon: It should be good for hundreds of pages.
I hope you'll review my seller feedback. I ship next-day and pack my typewriters with care. Please bid with confidence, and do reach out if you have any questions about the condition, use or care of this machine.
Using the eBay App? Paste link into a browser window:[isdnt...ekvideo]
I've been at this hobby of collecting and fixing typewriters for about 40 years, and have worked with hundreds of Smith-Coronas. Smith-Corona applied the Sterling name to its middle tier of typewriters beginning in 1934, and the company's model line was never without a Sterling until Smith-Corona stopped making manual machines entirely some five decades later. There was the Sterling 1A, the 2A, 3A, 4A and then the 5A which had its legendary run through the 1950s. Next came a short-lived (and quite wonderful) transitional model, the Sterling 5AX, followed in 1966 by the Super Sterling. In 1968 the "super" modifier was dropped for this model, again simply the Sterling.
The pictures provided here illustrate the condition of this typewriter from every angle. The paint and chrome are clean and uncorroded. Except for two small modifications, this machine is bone-stock as from the factory. I reinforced the release levers on both ends of the carriage with marine epoxy, because these levers are known weak spots on Smith-Coronas of this era. And I upgraded with a visit to my parts shelves, installing the back panel from a Smith-Corona Electra, which has a useful pop-up paper support -- something the Sterling lacks.
This typewriter came to me in need of cleaning, adjustments and light repairs. (The original masking tape from the factory, meant to protect the paint during shipping, had never been removed. Scraping away 50-year-old tape is one of the less enjoyable aspects of typewriter restoration.) Then came testing, which for me means much more than a quick pass through the alphabet: to discover a problem that crops up only a couple times per page, you need to type a full page. Now I'm confident that everything works just right.
The clear image of a specimen page is what you need to see if you're serious about using a typewriter. Taken together, this printed sample and the demonstration video clip are as close as you can get, as an eBay buyer, to a test drive. The type pitch here is pica: 10 characters to the inch, the larger of the two most common sizes.
The Super Sterling is a substantial home portable -- some collectors call these models semi-portables or "luggables, " because while they do store away easily, they aren't going to be confused with lightweights made for travel. Packed in its case, this typewriter weighs 20 pounds, 7 ounces.
The impression this typewriter places on the page is clear and even. The typing touch is what you should expect from a correctly adjusted Smith-Corona: light and quick. (Each linkage includes a parallelogram which keeps the key level through its stroke. Smith-Corona's marketing people called this the "piano key" action.)
Ink ribbons to fit this typewriter abound here on eBay and from Amazon. But you won't need to replace this machine's ribbon anytime soon: It should be good for hundreds of pages.
I hope you'll review my seller feedback. I ship next-day and pack my typewriters with care. Please bid with confidence, and do reach out if you have any questions about the condition, use or care of this machine.
