Category: Press and typeface identification
Later topic: Help Me ID these please
Earlier topic: help identifying these dated small brass cylinders

What Faces are These?

I’ve been cleaning and sorting cases and cases of type. It’s a great adventure!

I apologize for the random ordering. I shot the photos between cleaning and sorting.

Could you kind folks identify these faces?

Geoff

image: sampleface1.jpg

sampleface1.jpg

image: sampleface2.jpg

sampleface2.jpg

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Sample No. 1 is, I believe, Packard, first designed for the Packard Motor Car Company, later a general release from ATF.

Packard was “designed” by ATF in 1915 by basically copying the flavor of the handlettering that Oswald Bruce Cooper had done for advertisements for Packard. ATF did this “in house” and did not even consult Cooper about this. When this was loudly pointed out to ATF, they did eventually muster up the decency to send Cooper a stipend for the ‘design.’ Of course Cooper later had close ties to BB&S in his hometown of Chicago, perhaps having to do with how shabily he was treated by ATF.

The second face could be Franklin Gothic, but the numeral 4 is a wrong-font character in the photo.

Second face looks like 20th Century Bold (or Futura Bold). Could even be Black… can’t quite tell. Numerals are a lighter style.

Thank you for the information. I’m a fan of Oswald Bruce Cooper and should have recognized his style. Very interesting story. It’s a beautiful face!

GBD

I agree with dicharry. Your second face is either Futura Bold or its American copy - 20th Century Bold.

Again…thanks!