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Remington Rand 5 with scientific keys 1930s Typewriter - Custom Order - $1,200
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Remington Rand 5 with scientific keys. This is a special-purpose variant of the vintage Remington Rand Model 5 portable typewriter, which included specific keys for mathematical, scientific, or other technical notation. This is distinct from the standard Model 5 and was a feature that could be special-ordered. 1930s Model 5 typewriters with a scientific keyboard are one of the rarest due to its niche application, making it a particularly prized collector's item. This is the only one on the internet for sale!
A Remington Rand Model 5 typewriter with a scientific keyboard is a highly specific variant of a classic 1930s portable typewriter. While the standard Model 5 is a sought-after collector's item, a version with a specialized scientific keyboard is significantly rarer. Remington Rand Model 5 (1930s) Production run: The Model 5 was a popular portable typewriter manufactured by Remington Rand from the mid-1930s to the early 1940s. Some models included a touch regulator for adjusting key sensitivity.
Design: The 1930s era Model 5, especially the "Streamline" version, is known for its Art Deco design, with a glossy black finish and polished nickel or black key rims.Marketed for: Remington marketed the Model 5 towards writers, students, and business people.
Value: As a classic, mid-century typewriter, the standard Model 5 is very popular with collectors and can often be found for sale on sites like eBay and Etsy, though prices vary significantly depending on condition. The scientific keyboard variant Finding a 1930s Remington Rand Model 5 with a scientific keyboard is uncommon. Specialized keyboards with scientific or mathematical symbols were custom-ordered by universities, engineering firms, and scientists.
Customization: During the 1920s and 1930s, the "Scientific" keyboard layout was occasionally offered on some machines, though it was much less common than the QWERTY layout.
Rarity: The relative scarcity of scientific keyboards makes a Model 5 with this feature especially desirable to collectors. If you have such a machine, it is a truly unique item.
Potential uses: A scientific keyboard version might have been used by a researcher, engineer, or mathematician who needed to type out formulas or equations before the advent of word processors.
How to verify if a typewriter has scientific keys If you're unsure whether your typewriter has scientific keys, look for these characters on the keyboard: Greek letters: Gamma (\(\Gamma \)), delta (\(\Delta \)), sigma (\(\Sigma \)), etc.Mathematical symbols: The integral sign (\(\int \)), summation sign (\(\sum \)), plus-minus sign (\(\pm \)), or division sign (\(\div \)).Exponents/Subscripts: Smaller character versions of numbers or letters used for superscripts and subscripts.
This typewriter is mechanically the same as the boxy Model 5, but its body looks quite different: it is an example of the streamlined industrial design of the later Art Deco, or Art Moderne, period.
In general, typewriter manufacturers didn't go very far in this trend that was taking other office and kitchen appliances by storm. But the #5 is a tasteful, striking example of typewriter streamlining. The shape was probably created by noted designer Oscar Bruno Bach (to judge from references in a 1940 Time magazine on Bach and his 1957 New York Times obituary, provided to me by Ed Neuert). A company pamphlet says, "The modern attractive lines of this new Remington brings [sic] 20th Century style and grace to the world's most famous portable typewriter ... make it a desirable addition to any home surrounding. Note the big, massive sturdiness of this new Remington Self-starter portable, its graceful lines and glistening finish."
The scale is red on most specimens, but black on some. An unusual variation has tan or black paint and a color-coded keyboard for teaching touch typing; another unusual paint treatment is dark and light maroon. It sold for $49.50 when introduced. Early specimens have the traditional "Remington" decal. This machine is essentially the same as the later version with a touch regulator and the still later Remington Standard Model 5 and Deluxe Model 5. The Streamliner of 1941 is also quite similar to the streamlined #5.
Name variants: Monarch 5, Remington Portable Super Model, Smith Premier Portable Model 35. British name variant: Remington Victor S Portable.