Help on Identifying Font | Briar Press | A letterpress community

Foolproof546
on 29 Jul 18 (18:55)

The photo posted is a little hard to interpret. Is this an antique (square serifed) or a clarendon (round serifed)?

It is also distorted because of the angle of the photo. A printed proof would go a long ways to help with th I.D.

Rick

Bossard
on 30 Jul 18 (08:08)

When I get home tonight I will post a better photo of the font. Thanks.

Bossard
on 30 Jul 18 (16:34)

Here are a couple of more photos.

04.jpg

03.jpg

Geoffrey
on 31 Jul 18 (15:08)

Updated 31 Jul 18 (15:09)

The maker usually, but not always, stamped their name on the side of the upper case A. Since both your U.C. A’s are mortised, that doesn’t help much in this case. Regarding the A that is only mortised halfway down on one side, can you see anything stamped on the side of it at all?

At the heritage village where I volunteer, we have a wood type font where the side of the L.C. a’s are also stamped with the maker (W. H. Page in our case). Is there anything stamped on the sides of your L.C. a’s?

Bossard
on 31 Jul 18 (18:27)

Hi Geoffrey,

There was nothing on the U. C. A.’s but on the L. C. A.’s they are marked Wm. H. Page Co., Greene Heritage. You are right on the money!

Bob Mullen
on 31 Jul 18 (21:11)

Updated 31 Jul 18 (21:12)

I believe your font is Ionic Condensed and was available from Page as early as 1865 (according to Rob Roy Kelly’s book American Wood Type:1820-1900). Look again at the mark on the side. It actually reads: Wm. H. Page Co. Greeneville Ct (Connecticut). A nice old typeface—it’s too bad it is incomplete. Incomplete fonts are not uncommon with type this old.
-Bob

Bossard
on 2 Aug 18 (19:02)

The type was from a shop that opened in 1880 and I spent a lot of time trying to find the rest of the uppercase characters with no luck. Thanks everybody for your help!