Rare. Beautiful. And about as close to a vintage typewriter "holy grail" as you can get without buying a gold one.
We fully service, refurbish and test every machine we sell, but we did not have to do anything with this one except a light dusting and thorough testing. A true time capsule. And its in a gorgeous color! We have had several cool colors pinks, blues, greens, but never this! So far its our favorite.
The Quiet Deluxe
There is something especially captivating about a Royal Quiet De Luxe. Introduced in 1939, it was Royal's flagship portable - a serious writing machine designed to give writers the performance of a much larger office typewriter in a machine they could actually carry.
But this one is something special.
Glossy Charcoal.
In 1955, Royal transformed the Quiet De Luxe from a traditionally finished office machine into something much more glamorous. The company introduced a short-lived series of smooth, glossy colors, including charcoal, blue, green, yellow and pink.
And charcoal is uncommon.
One collector who researched the color variations found that charcoal was the second-rarest color in the 1955 Quiet De Luxe lineup, behind Pastel Yellow.
That makes this machine particularly interesting for a collector—but its appeal goes well beyond rarity.
This one is exceptionally beautiful.
The deep, glossy charcoal finish has a completely different personality from the pastel "candy" colors Royal is better known for. It's sophisticated, almost automotive, with the chrome trim catching the light against the dark enamel.
And in mint condition, it becomes something else entirely.
The finish, keys, chrome and mechanical details all come together in a machine that looks remarkably close to the way it must have looked when it left Royal's factory more than 70 years ago.
A machine with serious credentials.
The Quiet De Luxe wasn't simply a pretty typewriter.
Royal introduced the model in 1939 and continued refining it through the 1940s and 1950s. The celebrated 1948 redesign was created by industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss, whose work also included the iconic Princess telephone.
The QDL incorporated Royal's Magic Margin, a clever system that made setting margins remarkably simple. It also featured a tabulator and the substantial, responsive mechanical action for which these Royals are known.
And then there's the literary history.
Ernest Hemingway used a Royal Quiet De Luxe.
And Ian Fleming owned a gold-plated Quiet De Luxe, which he purchased in 1952 after completing the first draft of Casino Royale.
So there's a rather wonderful lineage here:
Hemingway. Fleming. Royal. And you.
And that's the magic of an old Royal.
You don't turn it on.
You don't connect it to Wi-Fi.
You don't wait for it to update.
You simply put a sheet of paper in, roll it around the platen, and start thinking with your hands.
Click. Clack. Ding.
Your words appear immediately.
There's no screen between you and the thought.
No notifications.
No cursor.
No algorithm deciding what deserves your attention.
Just a beautifully engineered mechanical instrument doing exactly what it was designed to do.
And this particular one has the added distinction of being mint condition and an uncommon glossy charcoal finish.
Not just a vintage typewriter. A rare piece of Royal's most beautiful era.
Made for writers. Built to last. And after all these years, still ready to write.
Comes with original Hardshell case, and a printed copy of the original owner's manual.
This machine has been fully serviced, refurbished and tested - ready for use right out of the box. Expect normal wear and tear true to age.
