Bucket o’ Letters

Seen in an antique store in Mount Vernon, Iowa, October 23, 2010.

ATF Alphabet Card Boxes

While looking for some obscure typographical thing this morning, this ad in a 1955 ATF (American Type Founders) catalog caught my eye:

I have several boxes like the ones shown in the photo. I acquired them with a bunch of other stuff some years ago when the University of Minnesota Journalism School revamped its graphics lab. Here’s one of them:

The silk-screened label is beautiful:

It’s too bad I don’t have any of the type sample cards they were designed to hold. “Here’s something you will want!” Still true, even in 2012.

Postscript: An Etsy page with photos of what went in these boxes. Thanks to Joel for the link, and thanks to Kathy for sending me a complete set of the cards.

This is either really cool or really sad. I can’t make up my mind.

Seen in Saint Paul, Minnesota, November 3, 2010.

Flowers

Old neon sign, seen in Seattle, Washington, June 19, 2011.

Radio

Photo taken on July 11, 2011 in Newark Valley, New York. Notice the custom 3-D effect added by the owner of this book.

Henry’s Diner

Photo taken on July 17, 2011 in Burlington, Vermont. This photo has been on the lock screen of my phone pretty much since I snapped it.