This Rare Vintage Typewriter from the 1950s Lets You Type Sheet Music

The Keaton Music Typewriter, first patented in 1936, definitely doesn't look like a regular typewriter! The 14-key typewriter (later upgraded to 33 keys in a 1953 patent) was sold for about $255 in its time.

The unique keyboard arrangement was born of a desire to separate two types of characters. “One keyboard is adapted to type one class of music characters such as bar lines and ledger lines, which, when repeated, always appear in the same relative spaced positions with respect to the [staff] lines… and a second keyboard adapted to type another class of musical characters, such as the notes, rest signs and sharp and flat signs etc., which may, when repeated, appear in various spaced positions with respect to the [staff] lines,” Keaton wrote.

Image Credits: Marcin Wichary


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To clarify: the Keaton Music Typewriter was first patented in 1936.
The 1953 model shown in the picture sold for about $255.

Heaven only knows how much the 1936 model cost.
Adjusting for inflation, the 1953 version sold for around $2,400 in 2019 dollars.
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