Description

The "Italian Excellence" series is dedicated to traditional Italian companies. The three silver coins included in the set have been partially colored so that together they depict the national colors of Italy.

The Olivetti company, an Italian manufacturer of computers, tablets, smartphones, printers and other such business products as calculators and fax machines, was founded as a typewriters manufacturer by Camillo Olivetti in 1908 in the Turin commune of Ivrea, Italy. By 1994, Olivetti stopped production of typewriters, as more and more users were transitioning to personal computers.

Artist: Annalisa Masini

Obverse

Depicts the Olivetti Lettera 22 typewriter framed by a two-colour ribbon forming the name "LETTERA 22" with its typical original font, surrounded by the country name, the name of the designer "A. MASINI" below.

The Olivetti Lettera 22 is a portable mechanical typewriter designed by Marcello Nizzoli in 1949 or, according to the company's current owner Telecom Italia, 1950. This typewriter was very popular in Italy, and it still has many fans. It was awarded the Compasso d'oro prize in 1954. In 1959 the Illinois Institute of Technology chose the Lettera 22 as the best design product of the previous 100 years.

The typewriter is sized about 27x37x8 cm (with the carriage return lever adding about 1–2 more centimeters in height), making it quite portable at least for the time's standards, even though its 3.7 kg (8.2 lb) weight may limit portability somewhat.

The model was eventually succeeded by the Olivetti Lettera 32.

REPUBBLICA ITALIANA
LETTERA 22
olivetti
Lettera 22
A. MASINI

Reverse

Depicts the composition, ideally drawn with a pencil, showing the industrial design of the Olivetti Lettera 22 typewriter. Above, the year of issue, "2020", followed by the "OLIVETTI" logo; on the left, “R” identifying the Mint of Rome; on the right, the value "5 / E - U - R - O" inside small discs standing for typewriter keys.

2020
O olivetti
R
5 E U R O

Edge

5 Euro

Italian Excellences
70th Anniversary of the Olivetti Lettera 22 - Red

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KM#
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.925
Weight 18 g
Diameter 32 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Italian State Mint and Polygraphic Institute (IPZS)

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