Lot #33: Vintage Underwood Standard No. 5 Typewriter (Herb Blake Typewriter Co. Dealer Tag), Tins

magnificent piece of Canadian-localized industrial history: an authentic Underwood Standard No. 5 desktop typewriter. This specific machine features a beautiful, highly collectible original dealer decal on the front left panel from the Herb Blake Typewriter Co. of Hamilton, Ontario. It retains its legendary open-frame cast-iron body, gold accent pinstriping, and individual glass-inset keys with polished metal rims. Included in this auction is a fascinating assortment of six vintage typewriter ribbon containers and tins, showcasing iconic regional advertising and mid-century typography: • Three (3) Caribonum "Red-Box" Typewriter Ribbon Tins: Striking deep red lithographed metal tins with white script. • One (1) IBM Ribbon Box: Classic retro tri-color text cardboard box. • One (1) Beaver Brand Ribbon Box: A wonderfully preserved early cardstock box featuring its distinct beaver logo graphic. • One (1) Budge Carbon Paper Mfg. Co. Teal Tin: A rare Canadian piece manufactured in Montreal, Quebec, originally containing ribbons for "Electromatic" and "Executive" machines. Untested • Local Canadian Provenance: The Herb Blake Typewriter Co. was a legendary fixture in downtown Hamilton, Ontario (located on John Street North) active from the 1940s through the 1960s. Original dealer decals add significant localized charm and make the typewriter highly desirable to Ontario history buffs, regional antique collectors, and Canadian prop houses (frequently sourced for regional productions like Murdoch Mysteries). • The "Budge" Montreal Ribbon Tin: The round teal tin from the Budge Carbon Paper Mfg. Co. Ltd. of Montreal adds an extra layer of Canadian typographic history to the ephemera lot, appealing directly to specialized tin collectors ("tologists"). • The Revolutionary "Visible" Writing Machine: Introduced around the turn of the century, the Underwood No. 5 changed writing forever. It was the first immensely successful typewriter that allowed typists to see what they were typing as they pressed the keys, establishing the universal desktop layout used for the next 60 years. Tv prop usefulness: Because the Underwood No. 5 was the dominant office machine of its era, it was the tool of choice for many legendary 20th-century creators: • Ernest Hemingway: Famously used an Underwood Standard to write many of his classic works and letters. • F. Scott Fitzgerald & William Faulkner: Both iconic authors draft-wrote early prose on Underwood desktops. • Andy Rooney: The legendary 60 Minutes television journalist wrote his segments on his beloved 1920s Underwood No. 5 for decades, famously refusing to switch to a computer. • Jack Kerouac & William S. Burroughs: Beat Generation figures heavily favored Underwood machines; Burroughs specifically used an Underwood No. 5. • Arthur Conan Doyle: The creator of Sherlock Holmes was a documented user of the Underwood 5 • Parks and Recreation: In a famous comedic bit, the character Ron Swanson happily finds, cleans, and restores a vintage Underwood No. 5 to bypass modern office technology. • House of Cards: The Underwood brand is explicitly integrated into the plot. The main character, Frank Underwood, uses a vintage Underwood typewriter to type a pivotal letter to the President, joking about a fictional family tie to the company fortune. Classic Hollywood Film Noir: The machine is the quintessential newsroom and detective office prop, notably featured as the "workhorse" typewriter in classic movies like Meet John Doe and Hold Back the Dawn. Pickup category timeslot {A}