Description:
This Hammond No. 12 typewriter was manufactured by the Hammond Typewriter Company of New York sometime around 1905. This Hammond No. 12 (serial number 121443) contains many of the hallmarks of Hammond’s design including the Multiplex shuttle type with it’s the hammer typing mechanism. The Multiplex allowed different type shuttles with alternate language characters to be used by rotating the center shuttle holder. This model has a few features that were not as common to Hammond 12s, including the keyboard with English, Greek, and mathematical characters whose use was enabled by a quadruple shift. In addition to the normal capitalization shift key, there are two shift keys above the Hammond No. 12 nameplate that would raise and lower the hammer, allowing for a different set of characters to be printed from the type shuttle. There were not many typewriters that enable the user to write mathematical equations in the early 20th century, and this typewriter is a great example of Hammond’s innovative spirit.
