This a a late model SM9 in my collection, I hadn't used it, possibly never, but it had been looked at and a new ribbon installed. (Heinz at Addon must have done it a few years again) When I first started typing a couple of keys were sticky but after a page of work everything was perfect. This is a late model machine and in Typewriterdatabase it noted that the later machines were built cheaper to compete with Japanese machines. After working on this machine it turns out that the finish is sightly cheaper but the action remains the same.
In interesting story, I graduated in 1976 and started working, at this time both the IBM and Olympia companies had sales teams out selling typewriters literally door to door downtown. I could have both an Olympia SM9 for $375, I passed at the time.
Looking at writers who used an Olympia SM9 I went back to the WriteElephant to see who was both a writer and a user of the SM9 and I found someone, Simon Gray, a British playwright, screen play wirter and even novelist who did his first drafts on his SM9 and then transposed his work onto the computer for manipulation. He was an interesting chap in that another fact was he never drove a car.
Here he is with his SM9.
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