Type identification wanted.

Pictures

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Are these type metal or something light weight like aluminum or magnesium?

First glance thought it was Gill Cameo Ruled but think the rules are not right and the letters on these are more condensed and the cross rules, got some in the shed have a look in the morning.

John

Check out German and Italian type specimen to find an answer to your question. And, a print of your type could even be more helpful…

Okay Thomas Thanks, will make a print when the letters arrive.

John, Thanks for your reply, curious if your visit to your shed is helpfull

Thanks
Coen

John horn, I don’t know. Will let you know when they arrive.

I have had a look at the Gill Cameo Ruled and as I thought your type is more condensed and the rules have no lines across, perhaps when you get the type you will find a foundry pin mark which will help greatly, good luck,

John

It could well be the Fregio Razionale series 930, issued by the Nebiolo foundry in 1938.

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Thank you John & lie, will check if they arrive

Nice Thomas! Looks very alike. Hopefully I can make a print somewhere this week. It might help.

I believe that this is Razionale, designed by G. da Milano and issued by the Italian foundry Nebiolo in 1953. Fregio Razionale has extra rows of blocks above and below the basic grid of Razionale. The pt. size of the font determines how many grid rows are within the characters (less for smaller pt. sizes, more for larger pt. sizes.) Thomas shows a proof of Fregio Razionale above. The initial photo of the actual type shows the grid ending at the top and bottom of the characters.

That being said, I have a hardbound Nebiolo catalog from the late 1950’s and both Ratitionale and Fregio Razionale were no longer among their offerings by that time, so it was relatively short-lived.

Rick

@ foolproof Reading your story I can make up that I’ve puchased a very rare type, or not?

@ foolproof Reading your story I can make up that I’ve puchased a very rare type, or not?

You’ll probably be able to find more of this in Italy… But, I don’t think it’s ‘very rare’.

I agree with Thomas. It may be “rarer” than normal simply because it was apparently not issued for very long, but the other half of the equation is that it probably did not last long because as I see it there would not have been very much practical use for it (it’s Ugly!), so the “desirability” factor would most likely be very low.

I just don’t see it as a typeface for practical usage.

Rick

I don’t have a Nebiolo catalog that shows this typeface. Was matching spacing material made for it? None is shown in the original poster’s photos above.

Michael

Nickel Plate Press, that is a GREAT catch!!!!!! It certainly becomes even less desirable without any matching spacing material to begin/end a line or most importantly divide words.

Rick

So far a contact working at Miat in Gent, Belgium has contacten her resources and ended up asking a collector and archivaris at a France library. Below is his answer;

“So… nothing found in my books about your font, that is probably a Nebiolo copy or a french issue for the Fregio ?
But i never seen this style in a french specimen catalog.”

On page 323 of The Encyclopeadia of Type Faces, published in London by Blandford Press, 1970 edition, we read Razionale, Nebiolo 1935. Designed by G. de Milano. A condensed lineage titling which is negative on a square mesh background. Also check out the article in TypoItalia, issue 3, published by TIF in Italy. Not only type, but also spacing material and material to create shapes was produced by Nebiolo…

Thank you Thomas!

The word “fregio” basically means ornamented or decorated. So Fregio Razionale is simply the Razionale face with extra material above and below and unique line starts and stops. This is 100% Italian in flavor, nothing “French” about it at all.

Rick

Thank you Rick.