1942 Royal Aristocrat
Up for sale is a beautiful Royal Aristocrat which was made in America in 1942. Interestingly, Royal drastically cut down their civilian portable typewriter production on March 15 of 1942, so this is a rather rare production year for this model to exist. Royal would eventually halt all portable manufacturing to help with the war effort in WWII.
The Aristocrat was originally produced before the "Quiet Deluxe" came into popularity, but it's essentially the same (minus some cosmetic differences) as the early Quiet Deluxe machines which are more common. This Aristocrat is in amazing shape overall, and has very few cosmetic flaws. Even the carrying case is in near mint shape, with very little wear.
This typewriter has "CHC Bridge Dept. 10509" sticker on the left side of the body, which points to where this machine was likely used in the '40s, however your guess is as good as mine as to what the CHC Bridge Dept. exactly is and what this machine would have been specifically used for. Unfortunately I do not have any back story or other information on this machine's past other than the sticker.
Mechanically, this typewriter is perfectly functional right down to the bell, and is an amazingly smooth and reliable machine for its age. Despite this machine's old age, this typewriter can still be used quite a bit. I wouldn't recommend writing a really long novel on this machine, however it can easily be used to tackle other writing tasks and can be used frequently and reliably. This typewriter is pretty intuitive and easy to use, especially with help of the owner's manual which can be referenced here: http://www.machinesoflovinggrace.com/manuals/RoyalArrowManual.pdf
Universal ribbons fit this typewriter perfectly, and are readily available and for sale on our site. This machine is a very smooth machine to write on and remains popular among collectors and writers alike for both its smooth touch and classy looks. The Arrow model (a nearly identical model) was even chosen by the US Navy to decode Morse code telegram messages during WWII starting in 1942.
If you're looking for a beautiful early '40s machine in remarkable shape that can still be used frequently and reliably, then this is an excellent choice.