The Peerless Typewriter

Jan 17

The Peerless Typewriter, produced in 1895, and manufactured by The Ithaca Gun Company. The typewriter was invented by Leroy Smith, youngest brother of the same Smith family which produced the famous Smith Premier typewriter.

The Peerless did not last long on the market. Smith Premier did not appreciate the uncanny resemblance to their typewriters, and sued Peerless into oblivion. Despite looking quite similar, the two machines are very different, mechanically.

Front view of a Peerless Typewriter - on the lower front there is an elaborate gold decal reading, Peerless Typewriter Co. Ithaca, New York, U.S.A. There's two keyboards, one with black keys for capitals, another with white keys for lowercase

Underside view of a Peerless Typewriter, produced in 1895, in Ithaca, New York, U.S.A. Underneath the keyboard there is a black, and rust brown plate with a hole for each keylever to be serviced

Front left 3/4 view of a Peerless Typewriter - on the lower front there is an elaborate gold decal reading, Peerless Typewriter Co. Ithaca, New York U.S.A. There's two keyboards, one with black keys for capitals, another with white keys for lowercase

1895 Peerless Typewriter, Ithaca, New York, U.S.A.

Having only been produced for one year, the Peerless is a rather hard to find machine nowadays. The earliest examples sported a more elaborately decorated frame, much alike the Smith Premier No.1. These machines were labeled as, “Paragon”. Only one example is known to exist. They also produced machines finished in a brick red lacquer paint.