Antique of the Week: Tom Thumb Typewriter

This week's 'Antique of the Week' is a Tom Thumb Typewriter we spotted at Grass Island Market Fine Antiques and Collectibles on Boston Post Road in Guilford. 

According to Wikicolllecting.com, Tom Thumb Typewriters were actually originally designed for children, and were manufactured from 1953 by the Western Stamping Company in Jackson, Michigan. Here's what else Wikicollecting had to say about the item:

History of Tom Thumb Typewriters

The Tom Thumb typewriters began to be produced in 1953. These were metal typewriters designed for children, that were key activated and actually worked...They were widely produced right from the start, and developed over three of four decades.

Characteristics

The original Tom Thumb typewriters are made of metal, with three full rows of keys containing the alphabet and punctuation, working with a ribbon, much like a full size typewriter. They have a Tom Thumb logo affixed, of name with a smiling boy in polka dot bow tie. The typewriters are often green in colour, though some are red.

What's it Worth?

They generally sell for below $100 on auction sites such as eBay.

Editor's note: This is in no way a verification of the history of this specific item and this does not validate its authenticity, but is merely a general description of the item as it has been presented to us as a customer trolling for antiques. Guilford Patch is in no way verifying the authenticity of this item by featuring it in this article. Please speak to the Antique store this item resides at for specific details and authenticity.