Burgundy Groma Model T Travel Typewriter, Germany, 1953.

Description

Collectible Modell T typewriter manufactured in 1953 in Germany byVEB GRAMA Büromaschinen Markersdorf/Chemnitztal . A beautiful and extremely rare typewriter, … more Collectible Modell T typewriter manufactured in 1953 in Germany byVEB GRAMA Büromaschinen Markersdorf/Chemnitztal . A beautiful and extremely rare typewriter, this is one of the earliest Model Ts in the classic, early post-war form. The item is covered with burgundy and purple varnish, with preserved signature stamps.

The machine is functional and in good visual condition, damage visible in the photos. The machines manufactured by Optima were characterized by extraordinary design and great attention to detail. The items were produced by hand in short series. The machine may be an interesting addition as a flagship technological monument from the 1950s.


Size: 32 X 29 X 12 cm (12.6 X 11.4 X 4.7 inch)
Weight 6.2 kg (13.67 lb)

GroMa (from Grosser – Markersdorf) was a mechanical engineering company in Markersdorf in Chemnitztal (today the district of Claußnitz). It was also known as a manufacturer of typewriters.

Founded in 1872 as the Bach & Grosser knitting machine factory, the company was continued by Gustav Friedrich Großer himself from 1878 after Bach's departure. Initially, the company mainly produced knitting and winding machines and accessories for the Saxon textile industry, which was flourishing at the time, but increasingly sold its products abroad. Lathes and missile casings were also produced for a time during World War I.
In 1924 they finally started building their own typewriters, for which they managed to hire a designer from Chemnitz Wanderer-Werke. Unlike other manufacturers, GROMA standard typewriters were made entirely of steel, making them particularly durable. As an alternative, in 1938 a small typewriter was introduced, made of light metal and with a plastic housing.
After World War II, the factory was completely disbanded by the Soviet occupiers and soon nationalized. From this point on, VEB GROMA Büromaschinen Markersdorf/Chemnitztal no longer produced textile machines, only typewriters, including the "pocket typewriter" developed before the war, which now entered the market under the name Gromina and was later replaced by the Kolibri. Unlike before the war, the models now had colorful injection-molded housings and almost 100% of them were exported.
When sales of mechanical typewriters declined in the 1960s, Markersdorf was affiliated with VEB Buchsmaschinenwerk Karl-Marx-Stadt (formerly Astrawerke AG) and now mainly produced components for office machines. In addition, until 1990, electromechanical typewriters were produced in Markersdorf, initially until 1985 under license from the Italian company Olivetti, and then under the GDR Erika brand. Most of them were also exported and sold in the West through mail order companies such as Neckermann and Quelle.
After reunification, the company had to declare bankruptcy due to the collapse of sales markets and was liquidated in 1992. The factory buildings were completely demolished by 2013. In 2014, a memorial stone to the founder was erected in its place, and there is also a former factory settlement on the site, now known as Chemnitztalsiedlung or "Markersdorf Colony".
Color: green, black, silver,
Style: mid-century modern, modernism, art deco, bauhaus, industrial
Material: steel, chrome, fabric, wood
Dimensions:
In the suitcase:
height 16 cm | width 36 cm | thickness 35 cm
Without suitcase:
height 14 cm | width 30 cm | thickness 28 cm less