Old Letterpress Wood Type

Our Beginnings in Wood Type

My summer project was to start a blog on the terrific wood type we source out and bring to the wonderful folks on eBay.
So here it is August 1 and I finally get around to it.

So how did we get started with this somewhat obscure niche?  By accident, of course!
I started my full-time eBay business just about 4 yrs ago - Sept 03. As many of you know, we are Trading Assistants, so you never know what a potential consignor will have for you.

My husband owns a print brokerage in Manhattan. One of his associates had a friend with a large collection of wood type. He had used it to make wonderful collages and was getting up in years, so was no longer going to do it. He wanted to sell it. We took it on consignment and the rest is history.

I found that I really enjoyed selling it and commented to my consignor that if I could find a steady supply of it, I would love to specialize in it. Well, nearly 4 years later we have been able to do just that!

Now, stay tuned. We are picking up a load of wood type on Sunday from in rural New York State.
We are very excited about it.  We first saw this last fall and have been pursuing it ever since.
Its a great collection, with quite a few unusual fonts.

Our loyal wood type customers come from all over the world and we have made some enjoyable connections with this interesting group of people. So thanks :)

We want this blog to to be as much about the wood type community at large, as about us. So send us your comments, thoughts, information and want list.

 

mrssarahphillips
Hi there,
I'm one of the many people who has bid on your auctions over the last year - although I've never won anything :( - and am really excited to discover your new blog. My name is Sarah, I'm a vicar's wife and mum of two small boys and I live in the UK. I bought my first set of 6" wood type last year and am firmly hooked. Have just taken the plunge and bought a big lot of 3300 blocks from Scotland - which hopefully will arrive next week. Can't wait...I am hoping to sell some of them (bit nervous - never sold anything on eBay before) and use the rest in my creative endeavors. Am hoping to start my own small business (Hope House Press)
I'll look forward to catching up with your wood type exploits soon!
Thanks for writing.
Sarah
Aug-30-07 14:19:00 PDT Report this comment
mrssarahphillips
Have just realised I'm logged on to my new account - which has a grand feedback rating of 0! Am about to swap the name of my normal account which has a 109 feedback rating - so have stopped using it for now...
Aug-30-07 14:21:32 PDT Report this comment
am-pmauctions
Hi Sarah,

Thanks for writing. We always love to hear what people's interest is in wood type. There are so many different uses for it as it makes is second life.
Congrats on your score of 3300 blocks. You will likely spend hours and hours sorting thru it (one of the the things I DON'T like about wood type). But its always fun when you realize you have a complete font. That's the prize.
Sep-06-07 20:26:47 PDT Report this comment
claude.dieterich
Where can I buy complete fonts of wood types ?
May-19-08 21:27:18 PDT Report this comment

About eBay | Announcements | Security Center | eBay Toolbar | Policies | Government Relations | Site Map | Help
Copyright © 1995-2008 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the eBay User Agreement and Privacy Policy.
eBay official time