1921 Woodstock No. 5
Up for sale is an interesting Woodstock No. 5 which was made in the USA in 1921. The Woodstock was a notable competitor in the typewriter market, however the company never seemed to have nearly as much success as the other big name-brand typewriter manufacturers of the same era, such as Royal, Underwood, LC Smith & Corona, etc. and so while this is not a machine I would classify as rare or even uncommon, there are not nearly as many of these out there as there are of the other brands.
This typewriter is in fair shape overall for being 100 years old, however it does show its age somewhat. The metal has some patina and pitting, and the paint is not perfectly shiny and has some flaws. The labels are largely in great shape, but do have some wear as well. The platen and feed rollers (including on the paper fingers) could certainly be replaced, as feeding the paper takes some extra effort and use of the paper release.
As far as functionality goes, this typewriter is fully functional, although the ribbon vibrator (despite being lubricated and not binding) does not seem to consistently allow for a precise and consistent print on the paper. As such, the text is a bit imperfect. The problem seems to go away slightly if you are very forceful with your keystrokes, but doing so seems to be excessive in my opinion. As such, this typewriter is priced lower than what it would be otherwise if the platen/feed rollers gripped paper better, and if the ribbon vibrator would allow for a more consistent print.
This typewriter does use universal ribbons that are sold on this site. This would make a great decoration on any desk that can also double as a nice machine to use every now and then.
Note: This typewriter, along with other desktops are expensive to ship because of their extremely heavy weight (close to 40-50 pounds in most cases) and the large boxes that they require. If you decide to purchase a desktop typewriter, you can be assured that the expensive shipping costs will ensure that your typewriter arrives safely and in one piece.
That being said, if you are local to Southeastern PA, you are welcome to pick this typewriter up and avoid the cost of shipping completely.