Empty Wood/Poster Type Cases

                                                
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
                                                 
 
 
 
 
 
 

These typecases are the standard empty, or blank, case, with no interior boxes, and are used for storing wood type (poster type), or for blocks, cuts, etc. The simple blank case, full-size, is shown, for example, by Palmer & Rey Type Specimen Book 1892 and Cleveland Type Foundry, Catalogue and Price List of Type and Material, 1893 and Catalogue and Book of Specimens of Type Faces and Printing Material and Machinery, 1895, and American Type Founders, Pacific Coast Blue Book - Specimens of Type, Printing Machinery, Printing Material, 1896. American Type Founders, Illustrated Catalogue and Price List of Printing Machinery and Supplies Wood Goods and Wood Type Fine Printing Inks, 1897 does not show a blank case per se, but lists the case as available full-sized, or three-quarter or two-third size. It also shows a version with slotted sides and movable crossbars, and no central partition, allowing the rows to be adjusted at will, and described as suitable for wood type or script type and listed as available two-third as well as full-size. It also shows a Mammoth case, with a central partition and slotted sides, the sides extending beyond the back of the case for extra support. This is their Wood Case No.3. Three sizes of case are listed: Wood No.1 16x32¼in, Wood No.2 23x32¼in, Wood No.3 23x44in. Cleveland also show what may be the Mammoth case, but do not give the size. American Type Founders, American Line Type Book - Borders, Ornaments - Price List Printing Material and Machinery, Boston 1906, and Barnhardt Bros & Spindler, Book of Type Specimens - Illustrated Catalog and Price List of Printing Material Machinery and Supplies, Chicago 1907, show a Blank Hamilton Case as the case shown above top right, with the central partition.

Various styles of the full-size case are shown in Hamilton Manufacturing Co, Modern Printing Office Furniture Catalog 15, 1922 and Printing Plant Equipment, Type Storage Section, Catalog 16, c.1932:
Model 2701 for electrotypes, with plain sides and no central partition, as above left (1922, described but not illustrated in 1932).
Model 2706 for solid metal cuts, with plain sides, but a central partition, as above right (in 1922 is numbered 2705).
Model 2715 wood type case, as below left with the sides slotted on the inside for removable horizontal strips for holding different sizes of smaller type (1922 and 1932).
Model 2711 indexed electrotype case, as below right with a fixed central partition, and slotted top and bottom edges with eight removable vertical strips (1932).
Model 2710 indexed electrotype case, as below right but without the central partition, and with six removable slotted vertical strips and additional short plain horizontal strips (1922).
Other manufactures made similar cases. For example, Miller & Richard in Specimens of Book Newspaper Jobbing and Ornamental Types, 1873 show a plain case with central division and in Printing Machinery and Material, c.1910 show one with slotted insides both with and without a central division. Harrild: Illustrated Catalogue of Printing Lithographic & Binding Machinery & Materials (1889) shows a plain Sanspareil Case with a central vertical division, and another the same but with moveable slips. Ullmer, Revised Illustrated Price List of New Machinery and Materials, 1902 shows both a plain Open case with central vertical partition, and an Improved one with a central partition but also horizontal slots as below, centre. Stephenson Blake, Printing Material and Machinery, 1922 show just a plain case (model 15) and a plain case with central vertical partition (model 16), as above. The Thompson Cabinet Co Thompson Equipment for Printing Plants, Catalog 47 c.1949 show a variety.

The typecases can be the same size as normal full-size cases, but are often larger. The plain case can also accommodate four quarter cases. Half size versions of the plain case were also made.
 
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Other empty cases
ie with the boxes left blank
Other type layouts
ie with characters assigned to boxes
Full Index of layoutsGlossary of terms usedSources of the layoutsIntroduction
Quantities in a fount of typeQuantities in a case of type
Notes about Job
and Double Cases
Notes about Upper casesNotes about Lower casesAlembic home page

This page was written in 2001 by David Bolton and last updated 31 December 2015.