Erika Schreibmaschine — East German Typewriter (DDR)

The Erika is the portable typewriter of East Germany, built in Dresden by the VEB works that grew out of Seidel & Naumann. Models 10, 32, 41 and 42 cover several decades of GDR office and home use, almost always sold in a fitted carrying case, and they turn up now in green, grey and the occasional colour that collectors chase.

Supply is steady and the prices are friendly: the median sits at €50, the cheapest working machines run €15–25, and clean dated examples reach €300. Treat the case as standard, not a premium — nearly every listing includes it, so its absence is the thing worth asking about. A dried-out ribbon is not a fault, since ribbons are still made and sold; a sticky carriage or seized typebars is. Priced daily across Vinted, Marktplaats, eBay, 2dehands and Kleinanzeigen.