New Olivetti Serial Numbers found!

I was contacted this morning by Enrico Morozzi, a typewriter collector in Italy who is a member of the Typewriter Database. Mr. Morozzi had recently obtained a very nice Studio 42 from an ex-Olivetti employee, and the typewriter was accompanied by a sheet of paper which he kindly re-typed out and sent to me, along with a few notes he’d made from his conversation with the employee. I’ve gone over the sheet he sent and have found it to be quite enlightening regarding the very earliest Olivetti numbers.

Additionally, if we accept this new info as being directly from the factory (the source of the info and the specificity of the numbers lead me to believe it probably should be considered a Primary source), it would supercede the sources we have been using for Olivetti numbers (Secondary sources such as #13 & #24  “Liste der Herstellungsdaten deutscher und auslaendischer Schreibmaschinen”). This is important because of *one thing*:

The Secondary sources (#13 & #24) claim the numbers are “Jan 1” numbers, and this new Primary source claims the same numbers are “Last Known” or Dec 31 end of year numbers. This is an issue I’ve run into before, and if we accept the validity of these new numbers, it suggests that *all* of the Olivetti numbers we currently have should be considered “Last Known” or Dec 31 numbers instead of Jan 1 numbers. That would mean that every date we have is basically off by one year. *sigh*

Before I go changing the page to reflect this, I’d like to have some discussion about it first.  Please let me know if you thing this logic is flawed, and if so, why? Please comment below, and maybe we can sort it out together.

Here are my highlighted notes that I made this morning (click to embiggen):

olivettizzz-1 olivettizzz-2 olivettizzz-3Note also that the data adds additional confirmation that Hispano Olivetti serial numbers *do not* sync in any way with the Italian production numbers, and thus confirms that we know *nothing at all* about Hispano Olivetti numbers.

Updated: May 31, 2014 — 1:26 pm

11 Comments

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  1. I think it is safe to assume (is it ever safe to assume?) that Glasgow Olivetti number sequences have no integration with the motherland’s, at least for Graphikas. I made an enquiry at the Typewriter Story museum in Bra, Italy, but not joy so far.

    1. I agree with Rob, Ivrea and Glasgow have no integration for the most part.

  2. Not sure about the integration of serial numbers from different areas, but it sure seems like a treasure trove of information.

  3. That’s interesting about the “last known” and “up to” as the Dec 31 would tend to support those notations.
    I like how the db is attracting data to itself now.

  4. Exciting news Ted! I can’t really add something to your quest, I know too little about it. Your logic sounds plausible.

  5. hi, how are you?
    I bought a Studio 42 today, very nice and working perfectly well. I’m from Brazil, and my studio 42 came from Sao Paulo.
    The serial number is 623364.
    Looking into this list, its date from 1948, Am I right?
    Once Brazil is not a hispanic country (we spoke portuguese) do you know anything about?

    Thanks a lot!

    Evandro
    evandrospfc@gmail.com

    1. The Olivetti numbers we have are for the Italian Ivrea manufacturing only. The Brazilian-made ones use a different serial numbering series that we don’t have lists for. It could be similar, but I wouldn’t want to say for sure that those numbers work on Brazil, Glasgow or Spanish-made Olivettis.

  6. The hispano olivetti seems to fit that serials too, my lexikon 80 bears the 623076 and has only the red back key, not the second key at her right side, assuming she is a 48er too.

  7. I found a website with some more information on Olivettis, including some serial number information: http://www.typewriterstory.com. It can be found by going to the top bar, “Olivetti,” then the type – Standard, Portatili (portable), and elettriche (electric). The site is in Italian but it isn’t too difficult to decipher even if, like me, you don’t know the language.

    I’m not sure where the information comes from or how reliable it is. It seems to be the site for a typewriter museum in Bra, in Piedmont, Italy.

    1. Cool, this seems to be drawn from a 2013 book by Carlo Torchio called “Macchine per Scrivere Meccaniche”, which I do have. Thanks!

  8. My typewriter’s serial númber is 994502.
    It was manufactured in Brazil
    When?
    The machinne’s case have The following inscripton: CGC

    Cadastro Geral do Contribuinte.

    Thais legal exigence starter in novembro 1964.

    Studio 44 manufactured ended in 1968

    Tem these facts put The manufacture betwen 1965-1968

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