The actor and collector stopped by Berkeley Typewriter last week, tested most of the inventory, bought a 1930s Royal standard — and left a machine from his own collection for the shop to display.

The machines in the front window at Berkeley Typewriter have been there since 1936. Last week, Tom Hanks added one to the display — and took another home.

Hanks stopped by the shop at 1823 University Ave in Berkeley, working his way through most of the inventory before settling on a 1930s Royal standard typewriter. "He tried pretty much everything in the store here, and actually walked away with a 1930s Royal standard typewriter," technician Ken Alexander told SFGATE. Hanks also donated a typewriter from his personal collection to the shop, leaving a handwritten letter with it; the machine is now on display.

The visit carries some Berkeley typewriter history behind it. Alexander spent roughly two decades as the principal repair technician at California Typewriter, a separate Berkeley shop that appeared alongside Hanks in the 2016 documentary of the same name — a film that drew national attention to the region's analog holdouts. California Typewriter closed in March 2020; Alexander then came to Berkeley Typewriter, the family-owned shop run by the Permillion family. Now Hanks has followed.

Hanks has been collecting since 1978, when he paid $45 for a Hermes 2000 at a Cleveland repair shop; his collection now runs past 250 machines. The Berkeley purchase fits a pattern: in April 2023 he left a 1953 East German Rheinmetall at Philly Typewriter in Philadelphia, with an autographed envelope and handwritten note alongside it.

Berkeley Typewriter is at 1823 University Ave.