Guillotine identification

Anyone know what kind of guillotine this is? It has a 30” blade. It looks awfully similar to a photo of a Challenge Advance 25” I’ve found on Flickr, but there are no markings that I could find.

image: guillotine.jpg

guillotine.jpg

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Looks like it may have had a nameplate the on the arch of the frame. The counter-balance is there, but the $64 question is: “where is the lever?”

The lever is there, it’s just laying down, not standing up. I attached a better picture showing the lever in upright position. The very top of the lever had something broke off it, but I don’t know what. It doesn’t affect the use, though.

image: guillotine2.jpg

guillotine2.jpg

it looks like a early 1900s Challenge Advance 30” or a Gem
similar to this

image: challenge-30.jpg

challenge-30.jpg

That’s a GEM paper cutter manufactured by George H. Sanborn and Sons of New York. The image is from the 1890 Chicago Type Foundry catalog.

Rich

Front Room Press
Milford, NJ
http://frontroompress.com
http://frontroompress.blogspot.com

image: GEM Paper Cutter Sanborn and Sons.gif

GEM Paper Cutter Sanborn and Sons.gif

Looks like the 30 inch Oswego cutter I used to have many years ago.

The rigger was asking for an ID on it, but I didn’t see any markings when I looked at it. I didn’t look underneath, though, so maybe there’s something there.

See my post above. The maker’s plate seems to be missing but it’s clearly a GEM. The approximate weight is given in the catalog image if the rigger needs that..

Rich

Front Room Press
Milford, NJ
http://frontroompress.com
http://frontroompress.blogspot.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonsel/4706290548/in/set-72157624287750002/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonsel/4705649495/in/set-72157624287750002/

A few pictures from the recent move. Aside from the bottom bracing, everything looks pretty much like the GEM illustration from above. Maybe this was made a few years after the model illustrated and the design was revised?