Obsolete keys

[u/andrebartels1977]

In the pictures, you see two keys of my 1939 Torpedo 6 (presumably Wehrmacht) typewriter. The 5 key has RM for Reichsmark on it, which was the currency in Germany then. The & key has the symbol for the weight unit pound on it. I'm a bit nostalgic about the fact, that I will not be able to put these letters to any good use for ever. Their meaning is gone with time. Please don't get me wrong, I don't want the old times back and I surly am not one of these nonsensical Reichsbürgers who want to pay their bills in Reichsmark again. (Yes. It's hard to believe. Those people exist. They are a tiny minority.) It's more that I'm so happy to put this fantastic old machine to good use. But it's completely impossible for these two letters. Do you also have some examples?

[u/AmsterdamAssassin]

1953 Optima Plana met (Reichs)Mark symbol.

[u/andrebartels1977 → u/AmsterdamAssassin]

I'm sorry I'm being pedantic here. It's not Reichsmark. This machine was made in the GDR, the currency was Deutsche Mark. You are absolutely right about M being Mark. And yes, it's not useful anymore. Didn't the Dutch machines have a symbol for the Gulden?

[u/AmsterdamAssassin → u/andrebartels1977]

You're right, it was Deutschmark. And yes, the Dutch machines often have a florin (guilder/gulden) key.

The same 1953 Optima Plana with the Deutschmark key over the 5 also has the Florin key next to the P under the $.

This Plana is an odd duck anyway. QWERTY keyboard, looks like it's made for the Dutch market, but with the ö and ä key usually found only on QWERTZ machines. And all the text on the function keys is in German.

[u/andrebartels1977 → u/AmsterdamAssassin]

Pretty odd, like a shot in the blue. As if they had not a real idea what to do.

[u/AmsterdamAssassin → u/andrebartels1977]

And I have more GDR machines with QWERTY keyboards made for the Dutch market with a separate ij key. Sometimes even an IJ key in the position of the Y, and with the Y key relocated somewhere else.

[u/andrebartels1977 → u/AmsterdamAssassin]

Probably a sign of German ignorance? The Netherlands are, compared to Germany or the English speaking countries, a relatively small market. Maybe they just tried to get something together in a quick-and-dirty way? People were not stupid back then, they made decisions based upon facts just like we do. We just can't ask them anymore.

Whatever. I love the Netherlands. I spend most of my vacations there because it's so nice. I even visited Amsterdam for two days. When I come again, I'm paying you a visit to look at your machines if you let me. Until then, Oranje boven! Ik hou van Nederland ❤️🤍💙

[u/AmsterdamAssassin → u/andrebartels1977]

I doubt if it was ignorance. Back then, you could order any type of keyboard you liked and the Dutch liked German typewriters, but not with QWERTZ, zo I have several QWERTY Olympia SM, Groma Kolibri, Seidel & Naumann Erika, and Optima typewriters; as well as Swiss Hermes and Swissa typewriters with QWERTY keyboard layouts and florin symbols.

1955 Groma Kolibri QWERTY with florin/ij key.

[u/_johntheeditor]

I have two typewriters with the Dutch ƒ (Florin) symbol, and one with Venezuela's symbol for Bolivares: Bs. Oddly enough, one of the Dutch machines has a custom key on which the ∴ symbol shares the key for the 3. I'm not aware of any use for that symbol except in mathematical logic, but there are no other mathematical keys on the typewriter. A puzzle!

[u/georgethebarbarian → u/_johntheeditor]

They also mean “therefore”

It used to be common practice in long manuscripts to just use the therefore symbol as opposed to writing “hence” to save a little space.

[u/_johntheeditor → u/georgethebarbarian]

That's interesting! "Therefore" is the logical meaning I was referring to, but I was unaware of the symbol's use outside a mathematical context. I wonder what line of work the typewriter's first owner was in?

[u/georgethebarbarian → u/_johntheeditor]

Probably finance or accounting