more help please

I believe that the top initials were named “Caslon,” which were sold by Baltimore Type & Comp. Co., and labeled, “Handi Box Font No. 96.” The 24-point face was different from their 36-point, with the same name, which was closer to an actual Caslon Roman.
Sorry that I can’t identify the bottom initials, but they look like capitals to a font, rather than intitials.

It would help when asking for identification to say the size, foundry or Monotype, pin-mark, if any, and where you are located—US, or foreign.

Dave

I agree with Dave. Your first set is the 24 pt. version of Caslon Initials.

It will be of great help to tell us what the pin-mark says/looks like on the second font. It is a German font, not Old English.

I am heading to the Hamilton Wood Type Museum’s Wayzgoose in a few minutes and won’t be back near a computer until Monday.

Rick

The ‘Caslon’ initials do not match any of the 20or so styles of initials that the UK H.W.Caslon & Co offered in their 1913 catalogue. The BT&CCo initials are certainly similar but to a number of UK Caslon Co initials but there are many differences in detail. So I suspect that the US initials might be best described as derived from / inspired by the UK ones.

I concur that the second font is definately not Old English. It is very Germanic, best described as a Schwabacher face.

The mere fact that a type had no relation to the actual Caslon types never has stopped type foundries from naming it as such. There are many great stories about stolen and re-named type faces. Heck, that’s what has kept Dover Books in business all these years.

Paul