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The Columbia was the third typewriter on the market, after the Remington 1 and the Caligraph. This beautiful little machine was the first typewriter invented by Charles Spiro, a New York watchmaker, who went on to create many superb typewriters.

The Columbia was the second typewriter to give proportional spacing (the Automatic of 1881 was the first), with the carriage moving varying amounts, providing the right spacing for the different widths of the characters. The Columbia was also first in giving visible typing, allowing one to see what they had just typed. One would look down through the open window just above the name plate.

By rotating the black handle, (which connects to a cog under the white index plate) the pointer rotates to select the characters. The black handle is then pushed down, with the selected letter on the periphery of the vertical wheel, making contact with the paper.

This typewriter originally sold for $30.00.

"It is to the Pen, what the Sewing Machine is to the Needle."

© , Martin Howard