My "Commodore" Typewriter

My mom acquired this awesome portable typewriter from a school district junk sale, for use as a prop in community theater.  Then she gave it to me!

It is branded as a Commodore, with the flimsy little plastic logo on the front (right-aligned).  The finish on the casing is a rough, wrinkly texture.  I've learned that it is a variant of the Consul 1511, though with unusual body styling.

Serial number imprinted on a bar underneath

The serial number ZP-173146 uses the "ZP" prefix that is said to have only been used until 1960.

Blondy Luggage Ld / Montreal / U.S. & Canada Patent Pending

The leather case it came in is boldly marked "Wellington School from 9th Grade 66-67."  I presume the numbers refer to a school year.  The case is made in Canada (where Commodore was based) by "Blondy Luggage."

"Commodore" imprinted on the underside of the casing

The line spacing can be set to single, double, or one-and-a-half.  This is more useful for modern users than my Royal's options of single, double, and triple.  The backspace key is on the opposite side of the keyboard from that on my Royal, which makes switching between the two machines dangerous for me.

Among other mysteries, I cannot figure out what this little white knob tucked under the platen knob does!  (See comments for more info on this)

It has other features, too, which I haven't really gotten familiar with, since I only use this Commodore once in a while.  What I like about it is the soft, snappy feel of the keys.  What I don't like about it is the jittery type line, lack of visible ruler, and lack of end-of-page indicator.  It's a portable, though.  I like having it, and I look forward to getting more comfortable with it.

My Royal Typewriter

I inherited this lovely beast when my grandmother passed away in 2005.  This was a serious working machine in her household, from the time my dad was a young kid tapping out book reports, right up until the end.

Serial number, with FPE prefix

It is a Royal with serial number FPE-6774326, and presumably dates back to the 1960s or late 50s, but I can't be more specific than that.  If anyone out there knows more, I'd love to hear about it.

Classically, the Royal emblem is also the button to open the top lid

"MAGIC trademark MARGIN"

It features Magic Margin™control tabs, Touch Control settings that range from 1 - 6 (my computer-trained fingers need it kept all the way to 6) located near the righthand ribbon housing, and can switch between black, red/corrective, and stencil.

3-color selector wheel, platen knob, long side panels: plastic

The line spacing can be set to single, double, or triple.  The "tab set" and "tab clear" buttons stick out from the front face of the housing.  The front plate has a nice bumpy texture on it.

Sticker on the left: patent numbers; spool housing on the right: Touch Control settings

I use this typewriter almost every day.  I prefer it for writing fiction (where getting trapped in the syntax of a poorly begun sentence can make magic) and the notes for my research.  It's also great on post-it stickies for make-shift labels, and of course anything that needs to go on index cards (like recipes).

Inside, a pipe-organ array of fine springs

UPDATE:  A place-holder type sample, until the new semester starts and I can use the computer lab scanners: