Brand · West Germany · 1898–1990s

Used Adler (Triumph-Adler) typewriters

Adler of Frankfurt began as a bicycle maker and built its first typewriter in 1898. After the war it made both office standards and portables. The Adler Universal was its postwar office standard, and the Universal 39 version is famous as Jack Torrance's typewriter in Kubrick's The Shining. In 1956 Adler bought the licence to the Tippa, a compact portable first made by Gossen in Erlangen; later Tippas were built in the Netherlands and Japan. Adler and Triumph were combined under common ownership, which is why Triumph Tippa and Triumph-Adler badges appear on the same designs. Adler portables are a good-value alternative to Olympia and Hermes: in late 2026 Tippas asked about $180–290 delivered on eBay. Desk-standard Adlers are much easier to find in Europe than the US.