With an ever increasing array of interested collectors, graphic designers, artists and of course die-hard printers antique presses are coming back to life. Once destined for the scrap heap, older 19th century cast iron hulks as well as younger tabletop and flatbed models now hold quite a desirable place in the collectable market. So, for the benefit of those interested in printing or those who may have passed up an antique press at previous auction in favor of something "hipper" or "hotter", below follows a listing of the common and not-so-commonpresses that are driving the resurgence of hand printing. I'll start with the smallest presses first, and move on to the larger and heavier presses last. For the antique dealer or hobbyist, the first presses that many people find to be desirable are miniature salesmans models, presses designed for children and weekend printers often termed "rail" presses for their design. In the mid to late 1800's models such as the Daisy, Bonanza, Baltmorean and Favorite were being produced in cast iron. The type or image which is usually 3x5 inches is inked by hand with a small rubber roller. These presses were perfect to take into the "field" and produce business cards or small announcements. The next larger but similar type of press that comes to auction most frequently are the "pilot" or tabletop presses. These presses which can weigh anywhere from 30 to 100 lbs are very hot on the current market. They are perfect for the begining printer because of their ability to print a small edition efficiently while taking up very little space. Often these presses are found in mediocre condition with the original rubber rollers missing. Some makers of "pilot", "lever" or tabletop presses include Chandler & Price, Kelsey & Co. and Golding. The Kelsey Excelsior is one of the longest manufactured presses in history. Therefore many of the presses that come to auction are Excelsiors. A fully restored Excelsior with new rollers and trucks (the part which holds the roller in place) as well as a chase (the metal frame which the type or image block is placed into) may fetch at an auction with multiple bidders in upwards of $500. These presses sell quite regularly on EBay in part because unlike most other types of presses they can be shipped with little expense. Much like the "pilot" tabletop press, the floor model or ""jobber" press is a clamshell or "platen" in which the paper comes in contact with the type or image by means of two parts squeezing together like a clamshell. They also like the tabletop models have a large inking disc which the rollers come into contact with then move over top the type. The common models of platen floor presses include the Chandler & Price Old Style, Chandler & Price New Style, Golding Jobber and the Golding Pearl (Old & New Styles). Here is a beauty of a restored C&P 8x10 New Style, http://cgi.ebay.com/Chandler-Price-8-x-12-Hand-Feed-Letterpress_W0QQitemZ7618982251QQcategoryZ46735QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem. These presses are heavy!!! Made almost entirely of cast iron they can weight in excess of 1500 lbs. which make shipping difficult without the aid of professional riggers. Picking up one of these presses from somewhere locally is advised, and still will require a few extra hands. Many of these presses like most others that have sat in a basement or garage for 50+ years show signs of rust and are missing their rollers and often treadle (the foot pedal which was used to manuallt move the rollers). The avarage price of a floor model is $400, with exceptions being the Pearl models fetching signifcantly more, particularly if an "Old-Style" with the original heart shaped treadle. The chase or printable area dimensions range from 7x9/8x10 to 12x14. These presses can be purchased sometimes at auction for a seemingly little amount of money, but be aware you're often paying less for more-in weight! The next tye of press is the "flatbed cylinder" or "galley proof" press. This type was used originally by newspaper printers to pull a proof or test print, in order to make corrections and print on a larger press later. Some more basic "proof" presses include the Potter, Poco and Reliant. These are inked by hand with a large brayer or roller, then the sheet of paper is lowered to the surface by hand. These presses range in price anywhere from $200-$400 and weigh between a platen tabletop and the floor models, somewhere around 800+ lbs. Highly desireable models of proof press were manufactured by the Vandercook company of Chicago which produced letterpresses into the 1970's. The SP-15 and SP-20 (the SP standing for simple prescision) models in good condition with rollers can fetch at auction between $2,000 to $5,000. Other Vandercook models include the Universal 2 and Universal 4. So for those of you interested in the world of letterpress printing, hand made wedding invitations and greetings, old machines and collectables I hope this has helped in making you a more informed buyer and seller. Now when you see an antique printing press for sale you might think twice about it's merits and value. Long live the art of letterpress printing! -Nicholas Gottlund