Ben Franklin Printing Press - in a box!
A tiny printing press in a wooden box.
On the end of the box is a label that says:
A Complete Printing Office!
Ben Franklin
Printing Press
With Type Case and Full Outfit Ready For Work
I wasn’t able to find any information on this on the internet.
Any information on how old it is or what it might be worth will be appreciated. Thanks!
Can you post a picture?
The Ben Franklin Printing press was one of many small rubber stamp outfits. Many made by Fulton. You could compose a line or two with small rubber type and print via stamp pad ink.
There was also a Franklin Printing Press which was a modern waffle iron style press using regular type.
There were many press makers that marketed a version of there press to kids. If it is cast iron it is valuable to toy collectors and print shop owners for office displays. Sigwalt had the red handle No.10, Baltimore No. 9, Kelsey Junior and Maryland were marketed to kids.
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Dave Robinson (The Ink-In-Tubes guy) picked up some toy platen presses made of tin at the last Printer’s Fare (SF). About the same size at Baltimore #9, but naturally of much flimsier constitution.
Photos.
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According to a 1993 article written by Elizabeth Harris for the APHA magazine Printing History, the press looks like an A-2 Daisy press. It was sold under different names and “is one of the commonest rail presses surviving today.” For information on its value, see Determining the value of a press… Hard to tell from the photo, but it may be missing it’s bails.