Hermes Baby 1937

An absolutely superb and complete HERMES Baby typewriter from 1937 in exceptional original condition. This may be the finest Hermes Baby offered for public sale in the last decade. It has been fitted with a newly professionally renovated platen roller and has been conserved and restored to full original functionality and appearance. Fully working and in extraordinarily fine condition after 83 years. It comes with its original User Manual, which is rare in itself. The typewriter is completely original in all parts, has not been repainted and no decals have been replaced. It was manufactured in Switzerland during the third year of production for the Baby model typewriter. This typewriter is mechanically guaranteed for the lifetime of the typewriter.
This typewriter comes from the "Jake Mulhane Collection". Mulhane was originally an American who traveled widely and was sometimes called the "last of the cowboy explorers". He collected broadly with an eye for the unusual--but always the highest quality. We will be selling more of his typewriter collection in the months ahead.
NOTE: This typewriter comes with an "Acme" lead seal attached to the base of the typewriter under the keyboard. This seal permanently identifies this typewriter as a genuine Acme-restored typewriter and provides for lifetime servicing at no charge.
The Hermes Baby is an iconic portable typewriter and was partially responsible for a shift in the manner in which typewriters were used by the general public. It's portability, utility and durability were brilliant achievements in mechanical design when it was first manufactured in 1935. This Hermes comes from only the second year of production of the Baby, also known as the "Rocket".
The Hermes Baby was widely used by war correspondents during World War II and was the portable typewriter of choice for many well-known writers and journalists including: John Steinbeck, Tennessee Williams, the war correspondent Marguerite Higgins, Francoise Sagan, Max Frisch, Frederick Forsyth, Joe Brodsky and even Ho Chi Minh.
For a very interesting review of the Hermes Baby, please see: https://ryanshockeydavis.com/2019/02/20/bartlebys-machines-hermes-rocket-hermes-baby-typewriter-review/
For a fine discussion of the history of the Hermes Baby typewriter, see: http://typewriters.ch/collection/hermes_baby.html
And also: https://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2012/01/hermes-featherweight-and-baby.html
This Hermes Baby was in need of only a minor restoration. It has been fully cleaned and serviced, inside and out, and is in excellent cosmetic condition and working correctly. Some slight adjustments were made to the alignment of the characters, as is normal to any regular maintenance. Nothing has been replaced or changed from its original manufacture, with the exception of the four, small rubber feet on the base and, of course, the renovated platen. All keys type as smoothly as when this Hermes was new. The chrome is in excellent condition, all levers and functions work as originally.  It comes with its two original, painted, metal, ribbon spools.  The platen roller has been renovated with new rubber. The Paper Feed Rollers are soft and grip the paper well. The platen release mechanism in the left platen knob is in perfect working order, and both knobs are in perfect condition.
The User Manual is the rare version with the cutout page. The Manual is in Dutch and is in very good condition with no tears or other notable damage to the paper.
The painted finish on the body of the typewriter is in excellent condition, is all original to the typewriter, and has very few signs of use or wear.  The keys are in wonderful condition without scratching or other damage.  The beautiful Hermes logo decal and the dealer label are original. Likewise the painted information on the rear panel.
This Hermes Baby has an international QWERTY keyboard  with symbols for all accents needed for French, German etc.  The typeface/font is Hermes Pica (10 cpi). The enduring shine on the spacebar is a wonder to behold.
The original case/cover is in excellent condition. The chrome is in unusually fine condition.  There are some minor usage scratches on the two chrome bars at the bottom. The leather handle is in excellent condition as can be seen in the photos. It is pliable and not "dried-out" or damaged in any way. The interior felt lining has only some small marking from the typebars but is otherwise in perfect, intact condition. There are some inexplicable small stains on the top of the cover and these can be seen on the photos.
Based on the serial number (115338) this machine is from 1937. This model Hermes typewriter is also known as the Hermes Rocket.
This extraordinary example of a very early HERMES BABY will be packed and shipped with the greatest care to preserve its condition and beauty.