This is an Olympia SM2 portable typewriter, manufactured in Western Germany in 1954. It prints Italic typeface (Italic No.31), and has a new platen fitted. Deep-cleaned, adjusted, and fitted with a new ribbon, this SM2 is ready to type many more pages.

The SM2 belongs to Olympia's well-known Schreibmaschine Mittelgroß ("Medium-size Typewriter") or SM series and offers excellent engineering and smooth operation.

After a careful cleaning, the original green wrinkle paint looks very good and exhibits a nice lustre and depth. There are, however, a few imperfections, including a couple of discoulorations left by stickers. One is on the right side of the typewriter, and the other is on the ribbon cover. Both are only conspicuous in brighter light. The price reflects these marks to the paint.

Beyond the two sticker marks are a couple of grazes to the left front corner of the typewriter and the left front corner of the ribbon cover as well as one or two small, dark spots on the left and right sides. The "Olympia" logo on the ribbon cover is in great condition.

The dark green, slightly concave keytops are unmarked and glossy. The green plastic platen knobs are in very good condition, with very minor scratches. All chrome parts have been polished and are in good condition. The only imperfection is a small spot of wear to the chrome on the front end of the return arm.

As mentioned, the platen of this SM2 has been professionally recovered with new rubber, a great improvement to the old platen, which was as hard as plastic. The rubber rollers are in great shape and feed paper into the typewriter without difficulty. The original rubber feet are in excellent shape and keep the typewriter planted to the writing surface.

This SM2 has undergone a significant disassembly for cleaning, including a disaassembly and rebuild of the escapement and segment. All internals have been thoroughly cleaned with appropriate solvent. Lubrication has been applied where necessary, and the 4 rubber washers between the typewriter's frame and metal casing, which often degrade over time in SM1 - SM4 models, have been replaced with new rubber washers. All features of this SM2 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, and a good-sounding bell.

The wooden case has been cleaned and is in good condition. There are some age-related marks and scratches to the exterior and interior. The chrome fixings and latch display some light surface wear, as some of the internal fixings. The cleaned handle is sturdy, and the latch closes the case well. The clips on the interior of the case function well, latching the typewriter securely inside the case.

This typewriter uses a carriage shift and types in Italic No. 31 at 10 cpi (characters per inch). A new ribbon has been installed, and print quality is excellent.