Posted 13 years ago
jblakeolson
(1 item)
This is a collection of 19 letterpress cuts from the 1920s and one has a copyright date of 1928. The first photo is the entire group of 19 cuts, the largest being 18" and the smallest two dingbats.
Few of these large cuts survived the scrap metal drives of WW II but these sat in a box in an abandoned building for sixty years. I rented the building and discovered them in 1990. I am sure the shop didn't survive the Depression.
Included with them, along with the antique box they were found in, is an old dessicated rubber stamp with the name of the dress shop that used them for newspaper advertising.
The majority are 6 3/8" cuts of ladies' fashions of the 1920s.
I would appreciate advise from anyone on how to sell these cuts. I have had them for 20+ years and don't have a clue. They're sitting in my safe.
These are beautiful. I am a ceramic artist and found this while browsing for vintage letterpress type to use as texture on my pottery.
Not sure I could afford these but would love to know what you are looking for...
I put them on Collector's Weekly precisely because I don't know how to price them. They should be worth thousands of dollars because I have only once seen cuts anywhere near their size on Ebay and they were gone quickly. That was one instance five or six years ago.
I did put these on Ebay about ten years ago and got no response. I might try it again.
I have some letterpress wood type, brass ludlow matrix sticks, some interesting wood block cuts, etc. that I would like to sell. The box of stuff has been in my attic for over 40 years and needs to go. I will gladly send photos to interested person. Some of this stuff is heavy, the photo itched pated mounted on wood backs are real heavy. I am in Maryland just in case somebody close by would like to make an offer.
When letterpress printers gather it's called a wayzgoose. They buy/ sell/ swap old cuts, type, stories, etc. You can buy this size and style of cuts pretty affordably. I've seen paper box lids filled with old cuts (1890-1960) for $20. Printers pick through them and fill a box lid and pay the $20.
Cuts on ebay will sell more to theme or brand name collectors who need stuff for the shelf. They rarely sell for anything close to thousands.