The Conover
ca.1898
Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co.
Chicago, Illinois
The Conover typewriter was sold by Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Company (HSB&Co), a Chicago-based hardware store. It is unclear whether the Conover was just a name variant of the Chicago No.1, or if it came first because Conover serial numbers are lower than those of the Chicago.
Charles Hopkins Conover (1847 - 1915). who was a director for HSB&Co as early as 1890, is the most logical namesake for the typewriter though that is speculative without proof. Charles would eventually work his way up to the position of company president in 1914. He died the very next year.
Known serial numbers for Conover typewriters range from 5093 to 5786 with one outlier numbered 25943-5. The outlier is the only known with a suffix, no matter the name variant. Serial numbers are stamped into the top part of the frame below the right side of the carriage.
Charles H. Conover
HSB&Co was started on March 22, 1855 as Tuttle, Hibbard & Co. It went through several name changes during its existence Today it is known as True Value Hardware.
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