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Tom Furrier, owner and repair man at Cambridge Typewriter, shouted to his assistant when he saw the contents of a box mailed to him from Santa Monica, California.
"I opened up the top flaps and the first thing I see is this towel with the Playtone logo on it," Furrier told Daily Voice. "As soon as I saw the Playtone logo I knew it was from Tom Hanks."
Inside the FedEx box was a beautiful typewriter from the '60s, Furrier said. Adorned with Tom Hanks' autograph, the typewriter is functional but is in need of reconditioning and a good cleaning.
About a year ago, Tom Hanks announced that he planned to clear up space and shed some of the typewriters from his extensive collection by sending machines to typewriter shops across America, Furrier said.
When asked if he ever imagined that he would ever receive a piece of Tom Hanks' collection, Furrier said he never thought it would happen to him.
"I did [think about it], but also figured no, we're just a tiny little shop," Furrier said. "I was shocked to get it."
Cambridge Typewriter stays busy with a customer base made up mostly of people in their 20s and 30s, Furrier said. He anticipates the gift from Tom Hanks will increase foot traffic even more, as he plans to display the machine in the shop.
"I'm going to recondition it, make it like new again, and keep it in the shop and let people use it," Furrier said. "In a few months to a year, I'll get it to someone else's hands. Someone who really wants it, who will cherish it and keep it in the family."
That's okay with Tom Hanks, according to the letter he enclosed with his gift.
"I am presenting you with this typewriter...to do with as you please," the letter reads. "Service it, keep as is, repair and keep or sell. Display or use."
"On one hand you are taking off my shelves and out in the greater world," Hanks continues. "On the other hand, you are giving me more space and less clutter. On the third hand (?) you just may be giving this miracle of a machine a fuller, newer life of use."
Along with refurbishing his new typewriter, Furrier says he is considering sanding down the case and getting a local artist to paint it. The subject matter? Tom Hanks, of course.
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