Keaton Music Typewriter
33-key model, c.1953, with circular matrix and detachable wooden rack base, with "Keaton Music Typewriter / Patent Pending ... San Francisco, U.S.A." plaque, housed in a cloth carrying case with leather padded corners, 6 ¼ x 18 x 22 ½ inches.
First released in 1933, the rare and unusual Keaton Music Typewriter allowed its user to quickly type musical notes and related symbols on staff paper. The first model had only 14 keys, but by 1953, when this model was issued, it was improved and expanded to 33 keys. Exact production numbers are unknown, but since the Music Typewriter was never that popular with composers and used mainly by publishers and educators, very few are known to exist. It's estimated that there are now fewer than two dozen.
