The Man Who Collected Typewriters: How He Became a Living Archive
His home is filled with typewriters from every era. What started as a quirky obsession became his signature identity—and a global legacy.
🧠 OBSESSION TO IDENTITY
Obsession Category: Collecting
Obsession: Vintage Typewriters
Transformation: Turning Typewriter Obsession into Identity
How a Typewriter Obsession Became His Unique Identity
Most people think of typewriters as antiques—dusty relics of a forgotten era.
But for one man, they’re not just machines.
They’re time capsules.
His home? More like a museum.
Wall-to-wall, shelves filled with every kind of typewriter you can imagine—from 1890s relics to 1980s portables.
Friends call it “The Typing Temple.”
He calls it: Identity.
The Turning Point:
It started when he was 12.
He found a broken typewriter in his grandfather’s attic.
Something about the clack, the keys, the smell of old ink—it grabbed him.
He fixed it. Then he found another. And another.
By the time he was 30, he had over 300.
He didn’t collect them for profit.
He collected them for presence—each machine told a story.
Soon, people started talking.
Steps He Took (Without Strategy, Just Obsession):
✅ 1. He Documented Every Machine
He cataloged them by year, model, and condition. Wrote stories behind each one. It became a personal archive.
✅ 2. He Shared His Passion Online
He created a blog—just to talk about typewriters.
Unexpectedly, it exploded. Other collectors and nostalgic writers found him.
✅ 3. He Started Hosting Visits
Writers, journalists, even film crews started visiting his home.
It wasn’t just a collection—it was a living history.
What Changed for Him (The Outcome):
A publishing company donated rare machines.
A museum featured his story.
He was invited to speak about preserving analog history.
His blog now has 2M monthly readers.
But above all, he became known.
Not just as “the guy with the typewriters.”
But as the guardian of a fading era.
Advice for Others with Similar Obsessions:
Your collection doesn’t have to make sense to others.
It just needs to matter deeply to you.
Obsessions like this are not clutter—they’re clues to your core.
And when you honor them fully, the world begins to care too.
Final Thought:
“In a world of constant updates, I found my identity in something permanent.”
Sometimes, identity doesn’t come from reinvention.
It comes from preservation.