font identification

I’ve freceived a few hundred pounds of loose old type and cannot identify this face. I have more pictures posted on flickr.com. The pinmark consists of two ovals. The top oval has “FDY.A” and the second “72 pt”
Thanks for looking.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/seanlobell/

image: DSCN9456.JPG

DSCN9456.JPG

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Best guess is Type Foundry Amsterdam. It has elements similar to Globe Gothic by ATF, but is definitely an older face. My limited references do not show it, so I will have to defer to someone with European specimens. Great poster face. Funkiest ‘M’ I have ever seen.

The face is named Binner and this was cast by the Boston branch of the American Type Founders Co.

When ATF came into existence with the consolidation of numerous foundries, there was a period of time when some of the previously independent foundries where given a ‘letter’ designation.

The one’s I know of offhand are:
Foundry A - Boston
Foundry B - Connor
Foundry C - McK S & J
Foundry D - Franklin
Foundry E - Marder, Luce
Foundry F - St. Loius
Foundry G - Palmer & Rey
Foundry J - Bruce

Great info, I’ve never seen any type with that kind of designation before.

Of the nearly 2,000 fonts in my shop, only maybe a handful or so have a letter designation on the pinmark. I can’t tell you how many years these were used, but it probably wasn’t for very long at all. ATF was casting from these locations until a more centralized operation could be established in New Jersey.

Anyone out there heard of the American Type Founders Handipack? I have a package with a number on it and a set of borders on in it. Any idea where I can get more info on it? Thx

The Handy Packs where offered well into the 1960’s and consisted of little boxes (approx. 2” x 3.5”) packed with miscellaneous items such as borders, dingbats, brackets, leaders, etc. They were assigned different numbers for each specific set of components. This system continued with American Wood Type offerings and probably some of the Monotype foundry catalogues. Handy Packs, Handy Boxes, and other designations may have been used. I’m not near my reference materials right at the moment.

M&H still sells many of the monotype versions for around $40 each. I’ve purchased several (from music notes to halloween decorations) and they work quite well.

LeafDog, what’s the # on that ATF handipack? I have the 1923 catalog here, it may be listed in there.

The number is 63 on the wrapper/box. It is a holly leaf border with two elements allowing 2 color printing. Thank you for checking!

Interesting. The 1923 ATF Catalog doesn’t show a holly border with that number. I attached 8 images of the holiday borders in the catalog starting on page 657. There are also a few pages of 1, 2, and 3, color holiday spots and decorations starting on page 741, but none bear the #63 on them. Pricing various for monochrome and 2-color versions of the holly borders vary between $2 and $5 for a set. I wonder if this one you have is a later version given the number…

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ATF Handypacks. I have an ATF Typographic Accessories booklet, probably printed in the 1950s or 1960s. There are 6 pages devoted to ATF Handypacks, that sold for $2.95 each back then. They offered 46 different assortments in this booklet, each one having a different number.

ATF Handypack #63 is listed as “Holly Border, two color.” It is the 12 pt. Holly Border shown on page 660 of the 1923 ATF catalog, however the Handypack only offers the straight pieces, and not the corners shown in the 1923 catalog.

The numbers on the Handypacks only relate to the assortments themselves.

Tough to see in the jpgs but it might be the center border in images 63 or 64. Attached is a photo of the actual border pieces, both leaf and berry. Thanks for your help!

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leafdog,

You have only shown half the design. There should be another leaf and another berry design that are mirror-images of the ones shown. The leaf/berry border should be able to be set going in two different directions.

Yes, you are correct. I assumed this image would be enough to verify the origins of the border. There are two directions for both the leaf and berry. There are no major stems as in some of the diagrams. If you would like to see a photo of a complete set (100+ pieces), I will attach it with another post.

I believe I now have the information for which I was searching — and I think I will look to acquire copies of the old catalogs. They look very cool. Thanks all, for your assistance.