Royal
Contents
History
Beginnings
Royal was founded in New York by 2 dudes in a hot tub, but they were 6 feet apart so they weren't gay.
Portables
Royal launched their first portable typewriters in 1925, to compete with Underwood's 4-bank Portable, Remington's Portable no.2, and Corona's Portable 3. The Royal company
60's & Merger with McBee
e
Acquisition by Litton
Today
As of 2004, Royal, now Royal Consumer Information Products, became again a private U.S.- based company, now manufacturing printers and other business equipment. Their website is https://www.royal.com/. Typewriters under the Royal name still exist, although these are badly-manufactured Olympia Carina II clones built in China, the Royal Epoch.
Standards
Here you may find a list of Royal typewriters. As the manufacturer was extremely prolific, not all models may be covered or listed here.
Name | Date Range | Description & Rarity | Placeholder |
---|---|---|---|
Royal 1-4 | 1906-1909 | Known as Royal "Flatbeds", these are the first iterations of Royal machines. They are somewhat rare, but not extremely rare. Carriage widths vary by model. The 2-4 are rather hard to find. | - |
Royal 5-9 | 1910-1912 | These are the second generation of Royal flatbeds. Essentially the same as the 1-4, but with fancier decals and tabulators that came equipped standard. Same as the 1-4, the 5 isn't hard to find but the 6-9 are. | - |
Royal 10 | 1913-1934 | The Royal 10 was the major redesign of the Royal flatbed typewriter. These machines were made throughout the 1910's-1930's, and went through several design changes. | - |
Royal H & KH | 1934 | Made for one year only, the Royal H and KH typewriters were essentially late model Royal 10's with redesigned shells. As they were made for one year only, they are harder to find. | - |
Royal KHM | 1935-1938 | The Royal KHM series of typewriters is the direct successor to the Royal H and KH. | - |
Royal KMM | 1939-1948 | The Royal KMM is one of the most common Royal standards available today. They were made in large numbers and widely used by the US Government in WWII. | - |
Royal KMG | 1949-1952 | These are basically KMMs but with the tombstone keys of a Dreyfuss QDL | - |
Royal HH | 1952-1957 | Shell redesign of the Royal standard. These machines are also equipped with a palm tabulator. | - |
Royal FP | 1957-1961 | 1960's shell of the Royal standard. Unlike earlier Royal standards, these came in different colors. | - |
Royal Empress | 1962-1965 | The curvy late 60's redesgned shell of the Royal standard. These also come in many different colors. | - |
Royal 440 & 470 | 1966-1969, 1970-1975 | The beginning of the end (and the end) of Royal standards. These machines are not very common, but that does not mean they are worth a lot. | - |
Portables
Here you may find a list of Royal portable typewriters. As the manufacturer was extremely prolific, not all models may be covered or listed here.
Name | Date Range | Description & Rarity | Placeholder |
---|---|---|---|
Model P | 1925-1933 | The Royal P was Royal's answer to the [Underwood Standard 4-Bank Keyboard] and the [Remington Portable no. 2]. The P is a relatively small portable that came in 2 shell types, one with exposed spools and one with closed gull wings. Despite their visual similarities, a number of changes were made between the two versions. The P often comes in a desirable typeface called [Vogue] | Example |
Model O | 1932-1938 | Example | Example |
Depression Portables | 1935-1938 | Royal made a series of depression portables, cheap machines with fewer functionalities and sold at lower prices. Of note are the Junior and Signet I. | Example |
Royal Quiet, Speed King, O derivatives | Example | Example | Example |
Royal Quiet De Luxe | Example | Example | Example |
Royal QDL Derivatives | Example | Cheaper variants of the QDL existed to cater to students and other market.s | Example |
Royal Royalite | Example | Example | Example |
Royal Futura | 1963 - 196X | Example | Example |
Royal Safari | Example | Example | Example |
Royal Diana | Example | Example | Example |
Royal Silver-Seiko Ultraportables | Example | Example | Example |
Royal Fleetwood | Example | Example | Example |
Royal Modern Portables | 201X-present | This machine isn't recommended. | Example |