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The newly named Remington Typewriter The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB),
Company also began a training program for those which has a professional strikebreaker system, came
wishing to master the machine. The method was in and tried to help the strikers and Remington
called “touch typing,” and the course(s) were Rand to reach a deal. The strikebreakers brought
offered to business colleges, universities, and the techniques that involved propaganda, and would
YMCA. The typist would look away from the keys use missionaries to go to the employees’ homes to
and type based upon memorizing what key was persuade them to go back to work.
where using the QWERTY layout. Women were In 1937, the NLRB decided in favor of the
seen as the main market for this program following workers, and the board ordered Rand to stop
a shift in the demographic of users. In 1874, women interfering with employee’s unions and the right to
accounted for less than 4% of clerical workers organize. After the strike was broken in the summer
whereas by 1900, that percentage increased to 75%. of 1940, the Middletown plant closed leaving 1,200
By 1901, over half of all the higher-education employees without jobs. The production of
schools offered standardized “touch typing” courses Noiseless typewriters ended in 1952.
as part of their curriculum, and by 1915, high After the World Wars, Remington continued to
schools had begun teaching the method using manufacture typewriters and eventually made
Remington typewriters. computers after acquiring Eckert-Mauchly
The release of the No. 10 typewriter in 1908 Computer Corporation in 1950. The Univac I was
included a “frontstrike” typing ability, where the purchased by the U.S. Air Force and the U.S.
keys would strike at the same level of the keys rather Army. Businesses would rent these computers at the
than moving the keys in a high, upward motion. manufacturing site since they were the size of a
This market trend kept Remington at the top of the one-car garage and sold for $1 million each.
list for buyers of typewriters. The next re-design Remington advertisement to cross the generations, Remington Rand was then bought by Sperry
came in 1923 when Remington bought Noiseless October 1923, Popular Mechanics Corporation in 1955.
Manufacturing. Touting their machines as “noise-
less” was the result of a design change to the metal Collecting Remington Typewriters,
cover above the typing keys, allowing it to act as a
buffer to decrease the noise of the keys moving and or, Could You Become the Next
striking the paper. Many well-known people made Tom Hanks?
good use of the Remington Noiseless model – Now that Remington typewriters, among many
including World War II Associated Press correspon- other brands, are out of fashion, they have become
dent and domestic military editor Bill Boni. a collectible. Tom Hanks has a collection of over
Remington merged with Rand Kardex Bureau 250 rare and classic typewriters.
in 1927 to become Remington Rand. It is this Among the early famous typewriter users was
company that made typewriters and other office Mark Twain. Twain said in a letter to Remington,
machinery, along with computers, and after that, “Please do not use my name in any way. Please do
Remington Electric Razors. not even divulge the fact that I own a machine. …

I don’t like to write letters, and so I don’t want
The Great Typewriter Strike people to know I own this curiosity-breeding little
As told by Hartford Courant Columnist Marlene joker,” talking about his 1875 Remington. Twain
Clark in an article focused on the strike, “the was the first author ever to have a manuscript typed.
American Federation of Labor (AFL) began Remington Rand Model 1 Portable Typewriter, Other famous users include Agatha Christie, the
organizing workers at Remington Rand in 1934, 1930’s, selling for $499.99 on eBay world famous mystery novelist; Rudyard Kipling,
which set off two years of acrimonious negotiating. who also made good use of the Remington
It reached its peak in May 1936 when Rand officials Noiseless model in his later years; and Gone with the
fired 19 union activists in Syracuse, Tonawanda, Wind novelist Margaret Mitchell, who used a
and Ilion, New York.” On May 26, 1936, 1,200 Remington Portable No.3.
workers at the Remington Rand factory (still For collecting purposes, look for something that
known as the Noiseless factory) in Middletown, CT attracts your eye. Features, color, form, maker, and
joined the strike.” Among the items listed in a condition are all important, and having a style that
complaint filed on behalf of the company’s unions can coordinate with your other collectibles makes
were the dismissal of union officers and supporters good sense. Be sure it is complete and operates (if it
without cause, senior management’s refusal to meet is to be used). Look for suppliers of antique and
with union leaders, and a 20% pay hike that was vintage-style ink ribbons and replacement keys.
vetoed by the company. Because of the current trend of making typewriter
Then-company President James H. Rand, Jr. key jewelry, finding replacement keys today could
started using what was termed the “Mohawk Valley prove to be a bit more expensive vs. 10 years ago.
Formula” to break up the strike – spreading Generally speaking, expect to pay between $100
propaganda about the union strikes, rumors about and $300 for an older machine (pre-1950) found
intent, and bashing the union strikers for hurting “as is.” Those that have been refurbished to top
their families by having no income since they were condition can bring anywhere from $800-$1,500
out of work. The propaganda was also often used to and up. In July 2014, a rough Remington No. 1
call the strikers communists or anarchists in an 1956 Vintage Remington Travel-Riter Portable sold for nearly $27,000 on eBay. But later
effort to make the public hate the union workers. Typewriter, Working with Case Remingtons, including the Standard #10, can be
Rand, Jr. became famous for his use of selling for $120 on Etsy found online for $150 and under, in good working
well-placed PR spreading rumors about union condition. Be sure to take a look at the font used
officials and supporters of the union, firing union workers and hiring new and be sure to take a test run.
workers to take their place (“scabs”), and threatening to close the Oddly enough, European typewriters are considered more valuable in
Middletown plant. The strike got so out of hand that the state and the U.S. than those made here. Rarity is a factor when buying a vintage
local police had to help keep the strikers from throwing stones at or old typewriter with a European maker.
workers and vehicles. Title Image: Vintage celluloid advertising
mirror/paperweight selling at RubyLane.com
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