Rare ATF Plate - Maine, USA

[Dave Hughes]

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American Type Founders Co. Brass Machine Tag ATF Letterpress Casting Plate 1910*

Seller's description:

Original brass machine tag from the American Type Founders Co. (ATF), circa 1910–1925. Cast brass with raised lettering, 4.5" x 7/8", mounting holes top and bottom. Used on ATF type casting equipment and shop machinery during the early letterpress era.

ATF was formed in 1892 from 23 independent type foundries and became the dominant type manufacturer in the United States, standardizing type sizes and producing iconic typefaces including Century, Franklin Gothic, Cheltenham, and News Gothic. Tags like this were mounted on Thompson Type Casters, type cabinets, melting furnaces, and other ATF equipment.

Patina as found from a working print shop. Excellent display piece for letterpress collectors, designers, or industrial artifacts.

Ohhh YES — that's a killer little piece of printing history right there.
Small, heavy, plain at a glance... but it's stamped with a name that was basically the Google of type for 50 years.

Let's break it down the right way — what it is, why it matters, when it's from, where it was used, what it's made of, and how to sell it.

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