Guest Post: Zbrojovka Brno and Remington

This is a guest post from TWDB Hunter Vlastimil Novak that started as part of a comment thread on an unrelated topic. It’s moved to a post of its own so it can be further examined, discussed and referenced (I always like a hard link to source references for TWDB).

Good day again Mr. Munk!

Thanks for correction of Brno reference. The third item is just my idea and I don’t suppose that was very good.

If I may, I would like to provide all info I know.

I don’t know, what arrangement Zbrojovka Brno and Remington has. But licensed Remington 16 is identical to American one, only with metric threads. Machines are labeled as Remington, just Remington’s classic red circle logo is replaced by Z in the barrel bore (that is logo which is on all firearms produced by Zbrojovka Brno) and on front cover, there is label saying that it is manufactured in Zbrojovka Brno.
Brno Remingtons also went through changes of original Remington. Czech ones can be seen both with older tabulator system with manual pins and newer one. Portables are basic Remington model and only visible difference (of course there is Z logo) is that machine si mounted to the pad with screws with really wide head.
I have one Zbrojovka 16. It serial is ZA-42453 and it is postwar. After end of arrangement with Remington, they developed own segment shift design and name it Zeta.
Standard Zetas are still labeled with manufactured in Zbrojovka Brno and some of them with information, that is patented design. I have two of them, serials ZA-235510 and ZA-228937.
First portable is this:
http://typewriterdatabase.com/1960-consul-15series.2548.typewriter
I have never seen this labeled as Consul in Czech. Always Zeta. But, obviously, they started with exporting them as Consul. But is still have Remington like style of serial number with prefix. Later on, both standard and portable is facelifted.
http://typewriterdatabase.com/1961-consul-de-luxe.4947.typewriter
Standard looks similar but it was not exported to western countries, so you won’t know it… and It still have prefixes. I have this facelifted portable version and its serial is zp-257183. There it starts to be confusing… Mine facelifted portable is labeled as Zeta, but there are lot of them labeled as Consul. All facelifted standard I have seen were Consul. And finally, when they came up with well known 232 all of their typewriters were labeled Consul…. Also they changed format of serial number.

So… I think that Zeta serial numbers continued from point, where Remingtons ended. Somewhere about 1960 they abandoned it and starts with year model serial format.