Rare Blick 90 Typewriter with Carrying Case - Blickensderfer typewriter

$3,950.00

The Blick-90 (also known as the Blick Ninety or Roberts 90) is an incredibly rare, fascinating piece of typewriter history. It represents the final, twilight era of the famous Blickensderfer Typewriter Company before it faded away.

Here is the essential breakdown of the Blick-90 for your workshop records:

1. The Historical Background

The Blick 90 was introduced right around 1919–1920. It was one of the very last models engineered at the Blickensderfer factory in Stamford, Connecticut, following the death of inventor George Blickensderfer in 1917. In 1919, the L.R. Roberts Typewriter Company purchased the struggling Blickensderfer assets and briefly manufactured this machine. Because of this transition, you will find this exact mechanical design badged under three different names depending on where it was sold:

  • Blick 90 / Blick Ninety (USA)

  • Roberts 90 (After the corporate takeover)

  • Gloria (The export name variant used for marketing in Europe)

2. Key Mechanical Characteristics

Typewriter historians note that the Blick 90 moved away from some of the radical innovations of early Blicks (like the famous spinning typewheel seen on the Blick 5 and 7) and leaned closer to a more standardized style, though it kept a few unique tricks:

  • 90-Character Capacity: It utilizes a 30-key layout with a double-shift mechanism (Fig & Caps) to achieve a full 90-character typing array.

  • Interchangeable Type Sections: Its single greatest mechanical selling point was that the entire type-lever section is completely removable and interchangeable. A typist could pull out the whole segment block and swap it for an entirely different typeface or a completely different foreign language layout in seconds.

  • The "Blick-Bar" Style: Unlike the typewheel models, this machine used individual type-bars, sitting in a distinctive curved basket assembly.

3. Extreme Rarity & Survivor Status

If you ever come across one of these in the wild, it is a massive historical find.

  • According to data from the Typewriter Database, slightly more than 20 units are known to survive worldwide.

  • Known serial numbers for existing survivors range selectively from 141 to 1143, featuring a unique, distinct serial number series separate from traditional Blick portables.

It is essentially a holy grail machine for early 20th-century American typewriter collectors!

 

📜 The Extraordinary Backstory of this Rare Blick-90

This specific Blick-90 (Blick Ninety) carries a fascinating transatlantic history. Discovered by us in Manchester, UK, in 2023, the typewriter had been cherished by its previous owner for over half a century.

The prior custodian acquired this mechanical treasure directly from the United States in the 1970s while traveling. For decades, it was kept safely as a beloved personal souvenir. It was only recently, after consulting typewriter historians and database registries, that the family realized the true monumental rarity of what they possessed: an exceptionally scarce, early 20th-century American survivor, with fewer than 30 units known to exist globally.

Serial K-998

One of the rare occasions to find a Blick 90 with its original case. We tried to restore and managed to get it clipping and clean.

Mechanical Condition: Sold as Display and as a collectable item, although it types but platen is hardened, mechanism moving but not reliable to type. 

All key strike and move, bell dings. colour selection not tested and tab not reliable. 

Letter L link has been previously linked using a wire by previous owner. kept as is to avoid damage to links.  

Cosmetic condition: Marks on the main frame, plus, we fitted new rubber feet as old ones are totally worn. 

Free shipping worldwide for this item.