What’s It Worth · Home & Garage
How much is a vintage typewriter worth?
Typical resale value — working, all keys strike
$85–$170
Most sell around $110.
Based on 20 comparable eBay listings · Priced by Reclaim’s own pricing engine · Last updated 2026-08-07
A working vintage typewriter typically resells for $85–$170. The typewriter revival is real and durable — writers who want distraction-free drafting, decorators staging shelves, parents buying tactile machines for kids, and collectors chasing specific models keep every working typewriter sellable, with the portable mid-century models the sweet spot of demand.
Function and form set the tier together: a machine that types crisply with an intact ribbon beats an identical seized one by multiples, and the desirable eras — glossy 1930s–50s portables in their cases, colorful 1960s–70s Smith-Coronas and Olympias — beat office gray. The IBM Selectric stands apart, a design icon with its own devoted market.
Typewriter values by brand
| Brand | Typical range | Most likely |
|---|---|---|
| Working vintage typewriter | $85–$170 | $110 |
| Royal (vintage) | $85–$165 | $110 |
| Smith-Corona (vintage) | $90–$140 | $125 |
| Underwood (vintage) | $125–$200 | $145 |
| IBM Selectric | $135–$250 | $200 |
Each row priced separately against comparable eBay listings on 2026-08-07. Condition, completeness, and timing move real sale prices in both directions.
What’s yours worth, exactly?
Ranges are a starting point — the exact model, condition, and completeness of your typewriter move the number. Snap a photo and Reclaim identifies it, grades condition, and prices your specific one from comparable eBay listings in seconds. Free, no sign-up.
Check your item free →How to sell a typewriter for the most money
- Type a full alphabet on paper and photograph the result — a typed sample is the single most convincing photo a typewriter listing can carry.
- Test every key and the carriage return, and describe sticky keys honestly; "all keys strike, carriage advances" is the working claim buyers need.
- Include the case for portables — cases protect in shipping and complete the object; missing cases are a real discount on the desirable portables.
- Note the ribbon status (fresh ribbons are cheap and universal) and never oil or "clean" the segment — amateur lubrication gums machines and kills sales.
The fastest route: photograph it once in the Reclaim app. Reclaim identifies the exact model, grades condition from the photo, prices it from comparable eBay listings, writes the listing, and publishes it to eBay and Facebook Marketplace under your own accounts in one tap.
Typewriter value FAQ
Which vintage typewriters are worth the most?
Portables with personality, and the famous names. The mid-century portable is the revival’s core object — Royal Quiet De Luxes, Smith-Corona Silents and Galaxies, Olympia SM series, Hermes — with clean working examples in their cases earning the upper half of $85–$170 and the design darlings (colored bodies, script typefaces, the Hermes 3000’s cult following) climbing past it. Full-size early machines like glass-key Underwoods sell as working decor, as the table shows. The IBM Selectric holds its own market among enthusiasts of its golf-ball mechanism and Eames-era design. What trades low: 1980s plastic electrics and office-gray standards. Script typefaces, unusual colors, and original cases are the premium checkboxes within any model.
Does a typewriter need to work to sell?
Working multiplies, but honest broken sells. The revival buyer wants to type today, so "types crisply, all keys tested" earns the full band — while a seized machine drops to project-and-decor pricing, which is still real money for desirable models because typewriter repair is a living trade and parts machines feed it. The common failures are forgiving: dried grime seizing the segment (professionally cleanable), dead ribbons (universal, cheap), and carriage issues (often adjustment). What must be disclosed: broken castings, missing keys and platens, and rust beyond patina. Test what you can, photograph a typed sample if the machine will give one, and label anything less as "for restoration" — the market splits fairly on that honesty.
How should you ship or sell a heavy old typewriter?
Carefully or locally — transit damage is the category’s heartbreak. Portables ship acceptably: lock or immobilize the carriage, fill the case’s empty space, and double-box with the machine unable to shift; buyers pay for this care and eBay’s national reach earns the model-name premium. Full-size standards and Selectrics are local-pickup machines — twenty-plus pounds of precisely adjusted metal rarely survives careless freight, and local decor buyers are plentiful. Whichever route, list with the model name, era, a typed sample, and honest function notes. Reclaim gets you listed in one tap: photograph the machine and it identifies the model, prices it from comparable eBay listings, and publishes to eBay and Facebook Marketplace.
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