Mignon Model 4 typewriter; AEG, Germany, 1920s.

Mignon Model 4 typewriter; AEG, Germany, 1920s.
Painted metal.
It comes with its original wooden box, which has minor damage caused by wood-boring insects.
Exhibits wear consistent with age and use.
Measurements: 19 x 32 x 25 cm; 21 x 38 x 33 cm (box).
AEG Mignon Model 4 typewriter, manufactured in Germany by AEG (Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft) during the 1920s, circa 1924. The model was designed by engineer and inventor Friedrich von Hefner-Alteneck and is one of the most original examples of the evolution of early office typewriters.
Unlike conventional typewriters, the Mignon does away with the traditional keyboard and the numerous levers and individual typeheads. Its unique writing system operates via a selector punch and an interchangeable character plate, called a rosette, which allows the various characters to be located and reproduced on the paper. The operator selects the character using the punch, and the printing mechanism then stamps it onto the document.
This ingenious system, developed to simplify the machine’s construction and ensure precise typing, made the Mignon a particularly recognizable design in the history of typewriters. Its mechanical design, combined with AEG’s characteristic industrial aesthetic, reflects the spirit of technological innovation in interwar Germany.