what kind of type

[FLINTNFIRE]

guy found this and is curious as I am what kind of type is it , my google query turned up nothing similarAttachment 244090Attachment 244091

[Conditor22]

Just guessing; looks like it's for an offset label printer.

[Winger Ed.]

Just guessing; looks like it's for an offset label printer.

That's got to be what it is.

Does it have a handle on the back to use with a ink pad, or some way to mount it on a (hand crank) roller type printer machine?

[FLINTNFIRE]

its curved and smooth on back and edges are beveled , one piece is a different size . Funny is the one piece is from a grocery store in La Center wa , I went to high school there , my dad and his family lived there during ww2 and my father said he knew the store as that back before a family called birds bought it .
Hard to say if I should melt it or put it up , I should ink it up and roll it out to see what it says easier.

[garandsrus]

Hold it up to a mirror and you can read it very easily. You can read it from the pictures that way also. I won’t spoil it for you!

[FLINTNFIRE]

I had already deciphered the 2 shown the one I did not take a photo of is hardest to read , but I did hold it to mirror and it is a whitney and co department store 5 10 and 25 cents in san diego cal , thank you for the suggestion , any ideas though of lead to tin ratios or is it better left as is , the phone numbers are a while out of date .
What is also funny is one is la center wa one is portland or and third is san diego ca , somebody saved or collected these and then left them in a house being remodeled after its sale .

[Petrol & Powder]

A lot of those old stores would print their logo's on the brown paper bags used by the store. Sort of free advertising. They purchased bags in bulk and ran them through a simple rotary press (looked like and old mimeograph machine but used ink) to put their name on the bag.

I would keep those in their original form, they're more valuable as type face than as lead.

[lightman]

I would have a hard time melting those. They would look cool sitting on a keepsake shelf! I have a few pieces of type and even an odd wheel weight or two saved back. Like I really need more stuff!

[RogerDat]

I'm betting a good alloy since it was intended to be re-used repeatedly but I agree too much a piece of history to melt short of the zombie apocalypse and low ammo situations.

I have a bread loaf pan with a bunch of linotype large print business envelope statements. "Invoice Enclosed" "Past Due" etc. Just no need to melt them and it isn't like anyone is making more of them.

I also keep some letters such as W-T-F & R-T-F-M that I keep out to put together as a desk paper weight.

[bangerjim]

Keep those as-is! A piece of history there. Those are not that common these days. A few boolits are not worth destroying those.

banger