This is a listing for an assortment of vintage letterpress type and you can choose how much you want! Each box contains an assortment of common letters (NOT every letter in the alphabet) and a wide variety of fonts and sizes are represented. Due to the fact that these collections sell quickly I cannot guarantee that you will receive one of those in the photos but the photos do give you an idea of what is available in each box. The small box measures 1.25x1.75", medium is 1.5x2.5", and large is 2 1/8 x 3 1/8".

Free domestic shipping on orders over $35. All orders over $25 will be accompanied by a Tiny Book.

International orders: Regretfully I cannot offer free international shipping. I will, however, refund the amount that you would have paid if your item were shipped domestically (usually one fourth to one third of the international cost).

Most orders ship within 48 hours though my shop info asks that you allow 1-2 weeks or 3-5 business days. Please contact me if your order is time sensitive and I can give you an exact ship date.


LETTERPRESS TYPE – FACT & FICTION

There are basically 4 types of letterpress type – wood, brass, foundry and aluminum. In this shop I sell predominately foundry type that is from the late 19th to mid 20th century.

Foundry type is made from a combination of tin, antimony and lead and each foundry has slightly different “recipes” for their type. Lead as a solid is not toxic, and in fact you probably get more lead exposure from working in your garden than you would from working with or wearing lead type. I have worked with it nearly every day for 20+ years and the only time I use precautions is when I am drilling out type…..then I wear a mask and use an exhaust fan. So, as long as you don’t grind it up and eat or snort it you’re good. Briarpress has some good information on this but I love the take from the Ladies of Letterpress http://ladiesofletterpress.com/forum/topic
s/is-lead-type-dangerous .

While foundry type is great for printing, clay stamping, ink stamping and hot stamping it is too soft for most metal stamping. For that you need to seek out special stamps (steel) made for stamping on metal. When using letterpress type like a “rubber” stamp I recommend that you stamp on a surface that has a slight give to it – like a firm”ish” mouse pad. Even then, don’t expect your results to be just like those you get when using rubber stamps. I often like a bit more of a rustic look, but that depends on the job.

While I like to leave the type with it’s residual ink and patina, I do polish the typeface on the small pieces that are drilled out to wear. You can maintain that polish by rubbing the typeface on any jewelry polishing cloth from time to time. If you want to clean your type more extensively I recommend a product called Never Dull, probably difficult to find in your local hardware store but try an auto parts store or online.

If you would like to know more about the history and/or styles (font) of type I recommend American Metal Typefaces of the Twentieth Century by Mac McGrew.