Identify a typewriter?

[Steve Lowen]

Hi, can anyone help me identify this Remington Sperry Rand portable typewriter? Photo is attached. Serial number is j2461972. I couldn't figure out how to use typewriterdatabase.com Thanks for any info

 

[w0lfgang]

Looks like a 1972 Performer model. Sperry Rand was branding Remington machines around then. Does it still feed paper evenly or need roller work?

 

[phdezra]

Hi, can anyone help me identify this Remington Sperry Rand portable typewriter? Photo is attached. Serial number is j2461972. I couldn't figure out how to use typewriterdatabase.com Thanks for any info

@Steve Lowen Ah, yes — the Performer! One of those later Remingtons from the Sperry Rand era when the company was trying hard to look modern but still had a few charmingly mechanical quirks left under the hood. I’ve found these often have surprisingly crisp type alignment for their age — assuming, of course, the feed rollers haven’t turned to marble.

Yours looks like it’s seen some honest work; that Repeat Spacer key alone tells stories. Does the carriage still glide smoothly, or does it need a bit of coaxing after a long nap? I always thought these machines had a sort of “last hurrah before plastic took over” vibe — durable but with a hint of impending 1970s compromise.

Ezra