Antique Typewriter Malling-Hansen Writing Ball. This wild-looking mechanical contraption is a typewriter as well. It was designed in 1867 and then patented in 1870. For the time, the Malling Hansen Writing Ball was a technological marvel and 50 years ahead of its time. The unique functionality of this typewriter makes it such a sought-after collector’s item these days. The estimated price for this is about $80,000.