Royal 10 (1938)

The Royal 10
 
Year of production:  1938
 
Company:  American British & Continental Typewriter Co., Baker Street, London
 
Serial No. Y38-110117 (Good working order)
 
The Royal 10 had a very different look to it than its predecessors, because it was an upright model and the keys were much lower than the bulk of the machine.  There are two glass panels on either side of the Royal 10 model, and this is indeed one of the best ways to identify one. This was the model that incorporated many changes and advancements and had been perfected to the stage where nothing more could be done to the design.  In fact the Royal 10 would be the last major step forward in the industry until electric typewriters finally took over many years later.
 
History:
 
Royal came later to the market than the other big manufacturers, Remington, Underwood and Smith-Corona but, ultimately, it was to outperform them all.  The company was founded in New York in 1906 by financier Thomas Fortune Ryan and perhaps the most prolific typewriter inventor of all, E. B. Hess. Hess secured more than 200 patents, notably the accelerating typebar, giving Royal its trade mark light touch.  
 
When Royal moved to a larger factory in Hartford, Connecticut, Hess' first act was to design a new machine in line with business customers' expectation - a desk machine that looked more like an Underwood or a Remington.
 
Fun Facts;
 
To promote the ruggedness of its portable typewriters, George Edward Smith, president of Royal, bought a Ford-Stout tri-motor airplane in August 1927.
 
This plane, commonly called the Royal Airtruck, dropped over 200 typewriters in crates with parachutes to dealers over the eastern seaboard of the USA on its maiden flight.
 
Royal eventually delivered over 11,000 typewriters this way with only ten being damaged.
 
In January 1941, Edward B. Hess, one of Royal's founders and vice presidents, died in Orlando, Florida. Hess was a prolific inventor and held over 140 patents relating to the typewriter.