This fine printer's block is from the 1950s and measures 3 1/2 x 5 inches. A heavy block with a white metal alloy face mounted on hardwood. Since we are on the verge of rewording our Pledge to the National Flag once again, I thought it would be good to post this for future reference. Not that the words or History will go away, but likely the only printer's block of this on the internet.

A 22 word Pledge to Our Flag was originally published on September 8, 1892. It was published in The Youths Companion magazine and was intended to be used by school children to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Discovery of America. The pledge was used in public schools but did not catch on anywhere else.

The pledge gained attention in 1923, at the first National Flag Conference in Washington D.C. The wording was changed slightly and was again edited the following year. It remained an unofficial pledge until June 22 1942, when congress included it in the United States Flag Code. In 1945 the it received it's official title of The Pledge of Allegiance.

The final edit to the pledge occurred in 1954 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved adding the words “Under God”. The new pledge was now 31 words. In these days of constant change, I'm not sure how long the text will remain as is? There is a lot of controversy using “Under God” and with our United States Constitution, I could see this being revised yet again. But many of us will never forget or use words other than what is posted above.

References: homeofheros.com

A rare 26 printer’s block / plate set last used in the 1950’s. The set includes a title page: The Christmas Book, and a frontispiece text block that reads:

Gadshill Place
Home of Charles Dickens

I have always thought of Christmas as a good time, a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of in the long calendar of the year when men and women seem, by one consent, to open their shut-up hearts freely.

Charles Dickens

There is a small graphic of Gadshill Place above the text on this block. Gads Hill Place is in Higham, Kent, United Kingdom. Sometimes spelled Gadshill Place and Gad's Hill Place, was the country home of Charles Dickens, the most successful British author of the Victorian era. He bought the house in 1856 and lived there until his death in 1870. William Shakespeare refers to Gad's Hill and its relationship with highway robbery in his Henry IV, Part 1. As far back as 1558 there was a ballad entitled The Robbers of Gad's Hill.



There are also five classic Holiday songs, music sheet printing plates that feature the titles:

Jingle Bells
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Silent Night
The First Noel
O Little Town of Bethlehem



The size of the cover page plate is 6 ¾” x 9 ½”, the printed book would have been approximately 7" x 10". The title page plate has a 1 7/8” x 7/8” opening for the insertion of movable type. This area would have been used identify the printer, or publisher. The backsides of some blocks have the paper backing that was added at the time of last printing. The date of 1958 is on one of them.

The majority of plates are halftone graphics and very hard to photograph. Unfortunately, I do not have a press set up and can not run proofs. All of them appear in very good condition. Some old ink on the surface, two of them have a small scratch at most. An exceptional and rare set ready to produce a fine Christmas Holiday vintage publication. We have flipped the cover and foreword plates for legibility.

You may view all of the plates in the set here.

Photograph Courtesy of Christopher J. Wood

An absolutely gorgeous and rare set of expertly hand-carved woodtype blocks from the mid nineteenth century. Each of the blocks are type-high and measure approximately 3 7/8” x 2 7/8”. This would have been a set made to print a two-color finished graphic.

Christopher is always looking for any feedback he can get on these beautiful and Historic pieces. Any comments are welcome via our Contact Us page. Any additional information would be greatly appreciated. It would be great to identify the specific engraver that created these blocks. I’ll leave his description intact.

I recently found two old completely hand carved wooden print stamps. I had to invert them to figure out what they said & I found that one said Salem Town & the other companion one said Commandery, both having a 16 in a shield, one of them having a K on the left side of the shield & T on the right side.

From my research, I have concluded that they were made as a set in 1864 1867 for the Salem Town Commandery 16, a masonic lodge of Knights Templar from Auburn, NY. I know the date of the stamps because the company that made the blocks Vanderburgh, Wells & Company only used the back mark these stamps have from 1864-1867. V.W. & Co. 18 DUTCH STREET N.Y.

Salem Town Commandery No, 16 still exists and is located in Port Byron just south of Auburn, NY.

American Type Founders was established in 1892 and led to the extinction of many of our early type foundries. They became the leading American manufacturer of metal type from 1892 until at least the 1940s. With the invention of composing machines like the Linotype machine, the ATF profits began to decline in the 1920s. They filed for bankruptcy in 1934 but continued to manufacture metal type until 1986, when the Kingsley company purchased the remaining business. ATF Kingsley continued to operate until 1993, when they close down the operation.

Another legacy of ATF is its typographic museum and library, which it operated for many years before finally transferring the collection to Columbia University in 1936. The books are integrated into the main Columbia collection, but there is an archive of ATF materials as well in Columbia's special collections. The specimen books produced by ATF, particularly the 1912 and 1923 editions, are masterpieces of printing as well as showcases for the diversity of font designs. Type designers and printing historians continue to study these sources as inspirations for font design and digital typography technology.

Some of the early type foundries acquired by American Type Founders included: Binny & Ronaldson, Boston Type Foundry, Central Type Foundry, Cincinnati Type Foundry, Dickinson Type Foundry, Farmer, Little & Co, Bruce Type Foundry, and Barnhart Brothers & Spindler . There was a total of 23 early type foundries that merged into the ATF campany.

We wanted to share a few pictures out of a 1873 Shasta California newspaper. Some fine examples of early blocks used for advertisements. The work required to produce a newspaper was intense. Could you imagine lining up every single letter to make the paragraphs? The graphic blocks would be the easy part. You can see the printing on the backside of these pictures from the opposite page. We have many of these same blocks in our collection today. It’s very nice to see them as they were used in the past. We donated these newspapers to the Shasta CA Masonic Lodge and they are now framed and displayed there.

One of the most thorough and impressive letterpress resource sites on the internet today. This extremely well presented website has any and all information for the letterpress enthusiast, from novice to professional. Every letterpress link you can every want or need can be found at this site. An excerpt from their site reads: "YOU can print! You can do real printing, even if now you can’t tighten a nut, can’t boil water, can’t tell type from tape, live in one room with three other people, and have to hoard your money... It’s simple, it’s fun, it’s useful, and you’ll have something to show!"


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Their links and information include: An Overview of Letterpress Printing, Letterpress Printing and Printers, Internet Mailing Lists, National and Local Printing Groups, Online Resources, Print Resources, Classes and Academic Programs, Printing Museums, Letterpress Printing Manuals, Design and Book Arts Manuals, Acquiring Books and Manuals, Letterpress Equipment, Choosing a Press, Letterpress Dealers, Accessories and Supplies, Letterpress Printing Suppliers, Paper and Papermaking, Bookbinding, Printing Type, and Type Casting. Give Five Roses Letterpress Resource a visit and you will never be disappointed.

Exceptional antique woodtype printers block that features an 11 3/16” x 2” Eickhorn German made Lion Head Sword. Lion pommel topped swords like this can be found in the original 1939 Eickhorn Kundendienst catalog. This one is original catalog number 315 and features detailed engravings on the hilt, guard and blade. The block shows both the sword and the scabbard. Hand carved by a very talented engraver many years ago. This woodtype block is made up of a few blocks tightly glued together and carved out. The block is type high, or approximately .918 inches.


A second example of another beautiful hand carved engraving that features a lions head pommel sword or edged weapon. This one measures 10 9/16” x 2 2/16” and is type high, .918 inches. The block shows both the sword and the scabbard. Original Eickhorn catalog number 1300. Also made up of a few solid hardwood blocks tightly glued together and carved out. Detailed engravings on the hilt, guard and blade.


This one features a third example of a lion pommel Eickhorn German made sword. It is an electrotype copper faced mounted on a solid hardwood base. It measure 1034” x 1 ¾” and is type high, .918 inches Original Eickhorn catalog number 1523. There are fine engravings on the handle as well as the blade. The block shows both the sword and the scabbard. The backsides of a lot of these catalog blocks still have paper padding added from one of the original catalogs, in the German language. Detailed engravings on the hilt, guard and blade.


A forth example of a vintage Eickhorn Lion pommel sword or edged weapon. The lions bust on this one has a different style to the head. This one is a short sword measuring 6 5/8” x 1 1/16” and is type high, .918 inches. It only shows the sword and does not have the scabbard shown. No guard on the hilt. Original Eickhorn catalog number 511. It is an electrotype copper faced mounted on a solid hardwood base printers block.


WWI German Eickhorn Officers Forestry Cutlass Sword. Our gallery also has an original woodtype block with this same graphic or sword used. There are three acorns that embellish the stag-horn handle, one acorn on the scabbard. The blade features a decorative scrollwork design. The block shows both the sword and the scabbard. This one measures 6” x 1 1/4”, and is type-high, .918 inches. Used to print an advertisement to purchase this sword through an original Eickhorn catalog. It is an electrotype copper faced mounted on a solid hardwood base printers block.

Our favorite blocks out of our collection have always been the beautiful hand-carved woodtype blocks from the 19th century. We have some fine examples that feature many topics. The one pictured for this paragraph measures 1 15/16” x 1 3/16” and is an original engraving that represents a Telegraph office. Entirely done by free hand on the backside of a Hamilton Wood Type number 0. A gorgeous example of an early woodtype used to print in newspapers or flyers for advertisement during the 19th century.


Original engraving from 1890 that represents the Providence Corinthian Yacht Club. The Providence was actually a 379 ton schooner built in 1874. Although I would believe this hand-carved block represents the Providence Rhode Island chapter of the Corinthian Yacht Club. This beautiful example has the text Providence Corinthian Yacht Club, Inc’d – 1890. The text is laid out inside the nautical ships rope and has a single star flag in the center. The block is solid boxwood and measures 1 3/8” x 1 3/8”. A very rare find indeed.


Another exceptional antique woodtype block. This one features an African American hobo and his bulldog. The bulldog is lifting his leg and relieving himself on the man’s shoe. This gorgeous engraving measures 2” x 2 13/16” and is solid boxwood. We have many other fine examples of hand-carved antique woodtype blocks on our website. True Americana Folk-Art at it's finest. You may visit our woodtype image gallery here.

We currently host an on-line gallery with over 1000 rare, antique, or vintage printer’s blocks. The blocks are all American made and date from the 19th and early 20th centuries. There are categories that include electrotype copper faced, metal alloy faced, foundry cast blocks, hand-carved woodtype blocks, classic advertisement, Holidays, edged weapons, and early foundry identification and pin marks. There are many fine examples of very early hand-carved woodtypes that include telegraph, animals, edged weapons, and more. Many of these historical items are also available for purchase in our on-line store. Our blog offers more in-depth information on specific blocks or styles of blocks. Please visit the gallery to view our collection. We will be adding to it continually and will be displaying many more fine examples from this Historic and often overlooked art-form.

Prior to 1892 there was a large number of independent type foundries producing type and blocks for the letterpress printing industries. Type foundries were companies that designed, manufactured, and distributed typefaces. Typefaces are the various fonts or lettering used in today’s digital age. Many of the original designs from the early type foundries are still distributed electronically today. Each typeface usually included the alphabet, numbers, and punctuation marks. Some also included ideograms and symbols and in some cases the typeface consisted entirely of them. A typeface and a font used to have individual distinctions, however with the digital age the two became interchangeable terms.


In 1892 American Type Founders (ATF) was created and 23 of the early type foundries were merged into the corporation. Other major type foundries were also absorbed into the ATF Corporation soon thereafter. ATF became the dominant metal type manufacturer from 1892 until at least the 1940s. They continued to be influential into the 1960s. With the invention Linotype Machine, profits began to decline in the 1920s and the company went through bankruptcy and reorganization in 1934. The ATF company did continue to operate until 1986 when it was acquired by Kingsley and Kingsley ATF closed it’s doors in 1993.


Pin marks on foundry cast type were originally a “pin like” mark left by the early type casters, as the type was removed from the mold. With the advancement of casting equipment in the 19th century, the pin was no longer required. The pin mark evolved into an identifying mark by the producing foundry. Those unique pin identification marks can be used today to identify exactly where the specific piece of type was produced. The round pin marks were on the metal type and the foundries also used stamp impressions to identify the manufacturer of specific printer’s blocks or letterpress cuts. We host a small assortment of some early pin and foundry markings on our website and you may view those here.