How much will the price of a typewriter appreciate in 60 years? If it’s the first typewriter Harlan Ellison ever owned, which was recently rediscovered, and is now on the market, the answer is about 20,000 times.
The Remington Rand typewriter his mother bought him for $2 when he was just starting out on his writing career was stored in Cleveland for many years, and recently rediscovered following the death of his sister. Following the recent sales of Cormac McCarthy’s typewriter (for $220,000) and Jack Kerouac’s (for $116), Ellison’s friend suggested trying to sell his. And since Ellison is currently facing increasing medical bills, he agreed.
The typewriter (along with a full description) is available on this page (asking price: $40,000). For a little more background, see this Wall Street Journal interview.
Thanks for SFScope friend Andrew Porter for the pointer.