Victoria Kobold Model

Any information about this press? Please! Help Me.

Log in to reply   7 replies so far

It is the smallest of the Victoria platens, made by Rockstroh-Werke in Heidenau, Germany; some were sold by Pershke Ltd. in the UK. Maximum sheet 10.25 x 14. The 1930s were peak years.
After WWII, Rockstroh was folded into the Poligraf conglomerate; as far as I can tell, the Victoria name was then associated with flatbed diecutters. After reunification the Rockstroh name was reintroduced in connection with offset presses, but with no relation to the historic Victoria press. So, records and parts are long gone. What remains is in the hands of a few Victoria owners, and I am one, but my press is not a Kobold. The UK seems to be where the most Victorias are still around, and there was in the 1990s a group of Victoria owners connected with the Printing Historical Society. I don’t think it is still active.

Thanks! Very helpful information.

I’ve only seen one Kobold briefly, a handfed model in the UK. But since then I have seen pictures of other Kobold models, all with feeders, and of three different types. The earlier 1933 model had a hinged swingaway feeder, the later 1935 model had a wheeled roll-away feeder. That form is true of other automatic Victoria feeders as well. But the Kobold has another variation, with one model having not the regular parallel-impression platen, but rather a unique cylindrical cage, as in “Vic-Trykkpresse.jpg” below; I suspect this is to carry thick or rigid material such as a book case. The regular Victorias look like “AutoVic-open.jpg” below, which shows an A2 AutoVic with feeder removed.
What does your Kobold look like?

image: Vic-Trykkpresse.jpg

Vic-Trykkpresse.jpg

image: AutoVic-open.jpg

AutoVic-open.jpg

Lots of those Victoria’s still around in the Netherlands as well. Check out the website of Drukwerk in de Marge.

Lot of Thanks to all! At mid-week I will post photos of my Victoria kobold. “She” prints A4 maximum area. Hand deliver.
Anyway, maybe I buy a Chandler & Price 36 cm x 48 cm instead of Victoria (“She” looks more beautiful and more useful :)

PD: Sorry, but my English is not good because I am Spanish speaker.

Make sure you get the two tables on either side of the press as well!

Recently, Drukwerk in de Marge posted a manual (actually more of an inventory of parts) of the Victoria Kobold in their “manuals” section. Perhaps this might be useful:
http://www.drukwerkindemarge.org/handleidingen/Victoria_Kobold.pdf