This East German machine is a 1958 Erika Model 10 typewriter, a portable of legendary status in the typewriter world. I have had this particular Model 10 for almost 3 years and have enjoyed using it. Thanks to the lever system of its typebars, the Erika 10 has a very secure typing action, one that is quite unique in the portable world. This, in combination with its smooth carriage returns and precise engineering, makes the Erika 10 a great typewriter, suitable for lengthy periods of writing. And, this Erika types in the less common and very nice-looking Congress Elite typeface.

This Swedish Erika 10 has a QWERTY layout, similar to the UK & US QWERTY keyboards but different in its placement of the ',' and '.' keys, which are to the right of the 'L' key instead of the 'M' key. This layout takes a bit of getting used to, but is not a big difference for users of US & UK QWERTY typewriters.

The original light-green paint, which has been carefully cleaned, polished and waxed with microcrystalline wax, is in very good shape. There are a few small marks to the paint on the right side of the typewriter. Other than these spots and some tiny scratches to the back, the glossy green paint is in very good condition.

Beneath its spacebar, this Erika 10 has a supplier decal noting its supplier, Josef Kihlberg, which since 1918 was an office supply store in Huj, Sweden (it continues today as a supplier of staplers and stapling tools). The decal is in very good shape, with only some slight wear to a few letters. Like the paint, it has been carefully cleaned and protected with wax. The Erika logo on the ribbon cover, which has its blue lining intact, is in excellent shape and shines nicely thanks to a careful polish.

The dark, slightly concave keytops are unmarked and glossy and have each received an individual plastic polishing. The plastic platen knobs are in very good condition and have also been cleaned with plastic polish.

The return lever and other chrome parts are in splendid condition and have all been polished with metal polish.

The platen of this Erika 10 is in good, clean shape, and though not new its rubber retains some give. It and the rubber feed rollers have been thoroughly cleaned with rubber rejuvinator, and paper feeds easily. Typing produces good print quality and is not overly loud, thanks to the condition of the platen's rubber. The rubber feet are in very good shape and have also been cleaned with rubber rejuvinator; as a result, they keep the typewriter planted to the writing surface.

All internals have been thoroughly cleaned with appropriate solvent, and lubrication has been applied where necessary. All features of this Erika work as intended and include a silent return, margins, touch control (gently increases or decreases the pressure needed from fingers to type), backspace, shift-lock, margin release, line space selector, variable line spacing knob, extendable paper support, tabulator, typebar unjamming lever, and a good-sounding bell.

This Erika comes with its original case, which is in very good condition. There are some slight marks on the exterior as a result of general wear, as well as some on the interior. The most noticeable imperfection is a small tear in the lid's inner lilac-coloured felt. The handle and latch are in excellent shape, and the lid closes nicely. This Erika latches securely onto its baseboard, which keeps it immobile while cased.

This typewriter uses a carriage shift and types in Congress elite at 12 cpi (characters per inch). A new ribbon has been installed, and it prints very nicely in either black or red (there is a bit of haze on the red setting due to the ribbon being brand new).

The typewriter will be carefully packaged in a well-sized cardboard box with signed-for delivery and insurance.