Portable Typewriter Cross-Reference
by Will Davis
This page contains a listing of brand names which were applied to portable typewriters for distributors, importers, exporters or department stores.  In other words, these brand names were not owned by the company who actually manufactured the machines.  The actual identities are given, with specific models noted where they are known or confirmed.  This page should be considered as supplemental to the rest of my site, and to the standard published reference books.
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AMC:  Associated Merchandising Corp, USA, used on Japy and Alpina machines.    ATLAS:  Two different users, one in Australia (used on Nippo machines) and one in US who distributed Silver-Seiko and Brother machines in Europe.    AVONA:  Suspected used by Jordan-Marsh for machines supplied by AMC.    AZTEC:  Name used on two batches of Erika machines sold in US, one mid-1950's and one mid-1960's.    BIANCA:  Seen on Consul machines in Europe.    BRIGITTE:  Seen on Consuls in Europe.    BRILLIANT:  Neckermann, Germany, distributed machines with this brand.  Models:  Comfort 200 and Perfekt 240S by Nakajima, 600 by mkr of Rovers, 1000 by Citizen, 2000 is Consul 233, Super and Exclusiv by Brother; Junior is late Montana.    BUNDY:  Applied by Bundy Typewriter, Philadelphia USA.    CARAT:  Seen on Rheinmetall KsT.  CAROLA:  Consuls in Europe.    CAROLINE S:  Silver-Seiko.    COLEX 2000S:  ABC 2000S, Messa, Portugal.    COMBINA:  Rheinmetall.    CORTINA:  Rover series, Europe.    EATON'S:  Used by department store of that name in Canada.    ELITE:  Used by Quelle, Germany.     ESCORT:  Montgomery-Ward Dept. Stores, USA.    ENGADINE and HANSEATIC ENGADINE:  Thought to be Italian-made progenitors of Rover machines before tooling moved overseas; various models.    EUROSTAR: Unknown origin, but SM1000 model by Nakajima and SM1001 is like Robotron Cella and Olympia Traveller C.    GALFA:  Antares-made.    GMO 300:  Maritsa 30.    GRANT'S:  Dept. store of that name, USA.    HERCULES:  Seen on Brother, Antares, Rover family machines in Europe.    IMC:  Rover-family.    IRINE SUPER:  Seen on Erika 14, just like contemporary Aztec 14, but in Europe.    JULIETTA:  Numerous Antares-made machines, possibly a mark owned by Antares itself.    LIBELLE:  Consul-made, various, Europe.    MADAME 500:  Princess 500, Germany.    MADI 2000:  Silver-Seiko mfd.     MARION:  Seen on various Consul machines in Germany.    MESSA 2000S:  The Messa-made ABC 2000S with company name as brand; rare.    MITORAL 2000S:  The Messa-made ABC 2000S.    MVB 1000:  Rover family.    OMEGA:  Applied by at least two different companies to Bulgarian-made Maritsa machines sold in USA.  Model numbers usually match originals.    PRASIDENT:  Applied by Neckermann, Germany, to Erika mfd machines.    PRIVELEG:  German Quelle house sold many thousands of machines made all over the world and to which this brand was applied.  Some known models --  100 by Citizen, 150 is Rover family member, 160 is Maritsa 30, 165TR is Olympia Traveller C, 180TE and 180TR made in Korea by K-Mek, 220, 220T and 230 by Antares, 260S made in Bulgaria and like Omega 1300F, 270 and 270T by Nakajima, 300 can be either Olivetti or Brother machines, 320TR by Brother and like Brother 750TR, 350T by Olivetti.  Models over 400 are electrics.    RACER:  Odd name recently seen on a Rooy 40 desk model portable in France.    RAPIDE:  Thought to be another brand of company which was original maker of Rover-design machines before tooling sold and sent to China.    REFERENT:  Optima Elite.    SEARS:  Sears-Roebuck Department Stores, USA.    SIGMA SM1100:  Rover family machine.    SIGNATURE:  Label for Montgomery-Ward Dept. Stores, USA.    SINGER:  Label applied to machines of various ilk by Singer Sewing Machine Co. USA, who never actually manufactured any of the machines which carried this brand.  Machines made by Smith-Corona, Remington (in Holland) and Royal have been seen, as well as Silver-Seiko and one Rover-family machine.    SPEEDWRITER COLLEGIATE:  Name seen on Consul-design machine in Canada, likely made by Commodore.    SUMITRONICS 30:  Space-age name for relabeled Bulgarian Maritsa 30.  SWINTEC 1200:  Relabeled Nakajima late-model (post-1978) machine.    WEDGEFIELD:  Relabel applied for S. S. Kresge & Co. Stores, USA.    WELCO:  Seen on Japanese machines in Europe; Model S100 by Silver-Seiko    WIZARD:  Label applied for Western Auto Department Stores, USA.
Other examples of such relabelings are shown and explained elsewhere on my site.  Here is one such machine; the actual simplified breakdown is given below.

LABEL ON MACHINE:    "BALDWIN"

OWNER OF MARQUE:  Likely to be Bundy Typewriter Co., Philadelphia.

MAKER OF MACHINE:  Zbrojovka Brno, Prague, Czechoslovakia

ORIGINAL MODEL:   CONSUL 233
It's fairly easy to see what's going on here; this machine would normally have been sold as a CONSUL brand machine, but ZB in Czechoslovakia applied the BALDWIN label especially for Bundy, who then sold the machine in the USA.  This same machine can be found in Germany, carrying yet other brand names, such as LIBELLE or MARION.

Now, if you still haven't found your machine anywhere on my site, either there's no secret behind it, or else I haven't gotten around to listing it anywhere yet.