Continental Portable Identification
Your guide to figuring out which model your Continental portable typewriter is.
Prologue
Disclaimer: I’m an amateur hobbyist with a keen interest in typewriters and typewriter history but I have no formal training in proper research or academic writing. I will do my best but cannot guarantee that everything presented here as facts is actually true. The contents of this article are based on my personal observations and writings of other people. Most images are used without permission, if you own anything used here and would like it removed, please contact me. I’ve added sources where possible.
I’ve been working on an article about the history and changes through the years concerning the Continental portables, this is a sort of spin-off topic that I decided to cover after I started my research. I saw many collectors, even seasoned veterans who were confused about which model their machine was. This guide a quick reference for that purpose, I’ll go into more detail about the differences and features in the main article.
Continental portable typewriters were made under several different model names, mostly varying in the amount of features. The 200 is an ultraportable machine that doesn’t have much in common with the rest except for a few borrowed parts, all others fall under the same general family:
- Klein-Continental - “Normal” Model
- 34/35/50 - Ultra-Budget Model
- 340/350 - Budget Model
- 100 - Luxury model
By expanding the table below, you will find a comparison of the features of each model. This was compiled based on period advertisements, and observations of dozens of typewriters.
Expand Table
| Model | Bichrome | Margin Release Lever | Paper Guide | Case Felt | Left Platen Knob | Margin Set Lever | Tabulator | Paper Support | Years Made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klein | Yes | Yes1 | ~1933-> | Usually | ~1933-> | No | Sometimes | Usually | 1929-1947 |
| 34 | No | No2 | No | No | No | No | No | No | 1933-1934 |
| 35 | No | No2 | No | No | No | No | No | No | 1935-1937 |
| 50 | No | No2 | No | No | No | No | No | No | 1937-1948 |
| 340 | Sometimes3 | Sometimes3 | No | Sometimes3 | Sometimes3 | No | No | No | Unknown |
| 350 | Sometimes3 | Sometimes3 | No | Sometimes3 | Sometimes3 | No | No | No | Unknown |
| 100 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 1938-194X |
| 200 | No | Key | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | 1939/1940-~1943 |
1 The Margin Release Lever on 1st and 2nd Generation models is a little tab on the left side of the paper table instead of a lever on the end of the carriage.
2 On models 34, 35, and 50 the margin release is operated by a handle on the margin stop instead of a lever connected to it. This is much harder to reach but did save on parts.
3 Models 340 and 350 were available with varying levels of features, sometimes even matching the Ultra-Budget models.
The Guide
Based on the findings above, I’ve created a flowchart to help you figure out which Continental model your machine may be. In most cases it is sufficient to look at the decals, but this procedure should help with those machines where they have been damaged.
If you notice any mistakes in the guide, feature table, or have new information, please let me know.
