The Colors of Smith Corona Vintage Typewriters

More Than Black

It's safe to say that it's hard to beat the beauty of a high-gloss black vintage typewriter. It's elegant and everything we imagine a vintage typewriter should be.

Yet, it didn't take too long before typewriter manufacturers began to experiment with various colors on their machines.

In this post, we'll look at examples of the variety of colors used by Smith Corona in the production of their famous typewriters.

1920s

Corona first introduced interesting color schemes in the 1920s on its Corona Four models. These color combinations included:

Channel Blue
Cream with Rose Gold crackle panels
Light Maroon with Rose Gold crackle panels
Bruce Green with green crackle panels
Bruce Green with Rose Gold crackle panels
Bruce Green with Black crackle panels
Black with Rose Gold crackle panels
Lavender with Rose Gold crackle panels
Channel Blue with green accents
Light Maroon with Maroon crackle panels
Mountain Ash Scarlet with Black crackle accents
Black with black crackle

1930s

The flat top design of a Smith Corona is a favorite among typewriter enthusiasts. Black gloss is the most common color available, but if you are so lucky, you might come across a maroon or green glossy finish.

1932 Maroon Smith Corona S-C

1935 Green Smith Corona Silent

1940s - 1970s

GREYS

The rounded body style took center stage in the 40s, along with the crinkle black and brown finish. However, in the 60s, Smith Corona embraced color again with multiple hues of grey: Sapphire, Dawn, Driftwood, Charcoal, and Sage grey. (I am uncertain on a few finishes as to what name they correspond).

Dawn Grey

Driftwood?

Sage?

Sapphire Grey

Charcoal Grey

TANS

Sierra Tan?

Apache Tan?

Desert Sand

Beige

Yellow

Gold Metallic

OTHER COLORS

Some of the other colors you'll find are (not all are shown): Alpine Blue, Starmist Blue, Metallic Blue, Seafoam Green, Metallic Green, Spring Green, Hunter Red, White, and we found a deep green (almost black) on an Enterprise.

Alpine Blue

Metallic Blue

Starmist Blue

Spring Green

Uncertain. (Seafoam Green??)

Seafoam Green

Uncertain. Deep Green?

White

Most models of Smith Corona are available in several different color choices. Which color is your favorite? Have you collected the same model in different colors?

If you're interested in finding a vintage typewriter, check out our shop here to see what we have in stock. Also, I highly recommend downloading my Typewriter Buying Guide so you know what to look for when purchasing a typewriter.

But first, read this blog post on understanding the difference between Serviced, Refurbished, and Restored typewriters.

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