1969 Hermes 3000 #3539674
Swiss Made - Late Second Generation
Types Magnificently
Serial No.: 3539674 (The 1969 year of manufacture determination is based on data from the Hermes Typewriter Serial Numbers page at TypewriterDatabase[dot]com.)
Keyboard: English QWERTY with US Dollar and US Cent symbols.
Typeface: Pica 2.5 mm (~0 characters per inch)
Footprint: About 13 inches wide by 14 inches deep. The height (with the lid attached) is just under six inches.
Weight: 17 pounds 3 ounces (with lid)
Color: Seafoam
Condition: Very good inside and out. The seafoam green paint is all original; it has not been touched up. As seen in the provided photos, there are splotches of dried white correction fluid on the platen side of the transparent card holders. There are a few small spots at the edges and corners of the shell where the paint has worn away due to normal usage. On the right side, there is a worn decal from a California typewriter shop. The branding and manufacturing info plates are original and in very good condition. The case lid—which attaches easily and securely—is also in very good condition, although it has a scratch and minor dent on the top, apparently from something dropping on it. The case lacks its key. (See provided photos.)
Details: This is the second generation Hermes 3000 (Model HP-2/66) which was manufactured for about four years from May 1966 into 1970. In my opinion, it represents the mechanical engineering pinnacle of the Hermes 3000 line, with minor enhancements having been made regularly following the launch of the first generation (Model HP-2/58) in 1958. In 1970, production moved from Switzerland and (I believe) quality declined.
This typewriter could be put to immediate everyday use. It types magnificently, with the keys moving smoothly and freely. Also included are a new black/red ribbon on metal spools, a copy (not the original) of the user guide, and a set of replacement feet which I modeled after a like-new original and 3D printed myself. The typewriter can be carried by the handle incorporated into its snap-on case lid. (Be aware that—at 17 pounds—the Hermes 3000 weighs twice as much as an ultra-portable like the Hermes Baby/Rocket. I consider the Hermes 3000 to be "luggable" rather than truly portable. Since January 2023, this one has resided on my home office desktop—a place of honor reserved for my best typer—while an ultra-portable continues to serve me well on the road.)
All-in-all, this is a very nice, fully-functional, 54-year-old typewriter. Selling it will make way for another recently-purchased Hermes 3000 to assume its place on my desktop.
Fun Fact: Included among the famous Hermes 3000 users named in the Writers and their Typewriters section of The Classic Typewriter Page are Jack Kerouac, Larry McMurtry, Sylvia Plath, Adrienne Rich, Sam Shepard, and Bob Woodward.
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