Amsterdam Bold Condensed Italic
I’m not in the habit of posting links to listings of items on eBay, but in this case I am doing so because:
1. I’m not interested in the face.
2. The seller seems like he/she could use some help because it’s typical and better to include the word “Letterpress” in an eBay listing.
3. There are 42 packages of NOS unopened, unused packages of this face ranging from 8 to 30 point.
4. It’s been my experience that type made by “Lettergieterij Amsterdam” Foundry is of extremely good quality.
5. Someone here might be interested in this deal.
Incidentally, it’s located in central New Jersey, and I do not know this person.
I wish it were “Libra” (then I wouldn’t tell you) or some other Amsterdam face, but it is what it is.
(edit) They just added the “letterpress” tag to the listing…hmmm.
Perhaps this should be in the For Sale section, but I’m thinking it could spur a general discussion concerning Amsterdam types as well.
I’ve got a really nice run of Libra, designed by Sjoerd Hendrik de Roos (the face they use on their package labels).
I love it and use it often.
Good stuff there from Holland.
Dave
What does this typeface look like? I’m kind of curious (not to buy, but just to know). I use www.identifont.com and wikipedia to find examples of typefaces, but they don’t always show everything I want to see.
Thanks,
Jason
I would be led to believe it’s what shown on the package in the listing.
Dave
Dave is right. This is a fairly non-descript bold condensed italic sans-serif face - just as shown on the package. Be careful buying fonts in packages and make sure that you have both the uppercase, lowercase, and figure sets (often in separate packages) for each size. If all of this is italic, that might be the reason it was never opened and used.
Rick
Amsterdam Bold Condensed Italic is shown on p. 63 of ‘A.T.A. Type Comparison Book’ by Frank Merriman, 1965. There is no other Amsterdam face listed here. This face is very similar to Tourist (Modern) Gothic, Monotype 1401 or 140K.
I guess this Amsterdan Bold Italic Condensed looks like it’s a lot of metal for bullets or fishing sinkers, as setting large amounts of italic has been hazardous to my health and put me in orthopaedic shoes. My podiatrist suggests therapy…setting an equal amount of American Backslant, ATF 586, McGrew, p. 10.
HA! HA! APRIL FOOLS EARLY!!
Looks like a good source for remelt type for the Dale Guild at a price considerably lower than new metal. The link I use for the ebay type listings is:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Type-Cuts-Printing-Blocks-/46735/i.html
and remelt is the potential best use for this type so something useful and nice can be cast.
The type for sale is actually called Mercator smal vet cursief and can be considered the Amsterdam Typefoundry’s answer to the popularity of the Helvetica. The design is by Dick Dooijes, who worked for the foundry and who was trained by Sjoerd de Roos.
mercator457.jpg
Saturday morning and bids have closed on these 43 packages of Amsterdam Bold Condensed Italic (or in Amsterdam, better known as Mercator). This lot hasn’t sold. You snooze, you lose. You could really impress your grandkids by having the shiniest bullets and sinkers on the block!.
Yeah too bad on that. I suspect that it would have sold if it had been regular Bold Condensed and not italic.
Fritz had the best idea when he mentioned Dale Guild. Without looking at a map, they could have conceivably picked it up, both being in New Jersey and all.
This was on eBay a few months ago as well and didn’t sell.
Oh well.
I once made a joke once about melting down type like this and I got hounded by a whole bunch of folks demanding that we instead sell them the type for scrap value.
Somebody must have a use for this type. I hope the seller re-lists with a lower starting bid.
Daniel Morris
The Arm Letterpress/The Dale Guild
Brooklyn, NY
Much as we treasure even junk type, there comes a point when reality has to rear its head. I visited John Horn’s shop many years ago and there were two 55-gallon barrels full to the brim with type. John told me that as he acquired type he kept what was good and dumped the rest, especially what he call “ugly” type. I know that’s judgmental, but in the background, there were type cabinets stacked three high by about 20 cabinets long, all full of type John was holding, primarily to help other printers get started. I picked up a large point size piece of type off the top of one barrel and it had a BB&S pin mark, but really was a very plain Jane Gothic that was very well worn. John said the metal was being saved for an unspecified type caster so it could see new life. Considering the cost of new metal to ATF standards, the remelting of even new type that has no practical use is emotionally difficult, but makes sense. Here is what a ton of new metal for foundry casting looks like:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53177163@N00/7032834997/in/photostream
Fritz
I wish we could afford to stockpile primary alloy like that. It would make Micah’s life easier if he didn’t have to try to anticipate how much of a particular face he could sell quickly when casting.
Type sitting on the shelf is a lot of money tied up these days.
Dan