Bremner platen press

Good day ! Am a new member, not a printer, but researching philatelic overprints. I would love to see a Bremner platen press if one is still available in the UK….or at least a photograph of one.
There was a thread in July 2015 on this site, where Albion Press had a catalogue from around 1890 showing this press. Is this still the case ? Love to hear from anyone who has information.

Log in to reply   7 replies so far

Hi Stuart,
I have a catalogue with these presses present.
Please email me and I’ll happily send you an image-
Jeremy

Yes, Bremner refers a variety of presses. The high end platen, a “Harrild Art platen” is below.

image: harrild_art_platen.jpg

harrild_art_platen.jpg

May I thank all three respondents who have wasted no time in helping me. I am learning ! The you tube video mentioned by platenprinter was particularly helpful….I was struggling to envisage how a platen press works, but I now have a good idea. (The video was obviously made in the UK….do we know where ?)
My interest arose when researching postage stamps which were overprinted in The Falkland Islands during the First World War, and I am currently awaitng further news from Port Stanley where I am told the actual press may still exist.
Thank you again, one and all.

The “art platen” was invented in the US, but much improved and more widely used in Europe. My own 15x21 Victoria was made in Dresden but sold in London, which predates the Victoria split caused by WWI. Your Falkland Bremner might be a simple English platen jobber, but it might be more. Art platens reached larger sheet sizes than jobbers, so one question is, what size is the sheet of stamps being overprinted?

from an old catalogue

image: SAM_1064.JPG

SAM_1064.JPG

image: SAM_1068.JPG

SAM_1068.JPG

image: SAM_1067.JPG

SAM_1067.JPG

image: SAM_1065.JPG

SAM_1065.JPG

image: SAM_1063.JPG

SAM_1063.JPG

Further comments and illustrations again most interesting. I understand that Harrild and Bremner were effectively working together, and indeed eventually came under single ownership. It would seem that Bremner in Otley concentrated on manufacturing, and Harrild in London did the selling.
The stamp sheets which were overprinted in the Falklands measured a modest 6 x 10.5 inches, with 60 stamps to a sheet. The use of a local press with all the limitations surrounding jobbing printing at that time gave rise to many variations in the finished article, and it is these that interest philatelic anoraks like me. The varieties include albino overprints, double overprints, offsets on the reverse, raised spacer marks, and defective letters caused by damaged platen pins or grippers, and this rich variety has prompted me to try and understand the exact mechanics of the operation. Thanks to your help, I am now well on the path to enlightenment.