# Balitmore #9 printer for cards, labels



## Arob (Dec 3, 2016)

Do you know the difference between a *Baltimorean #9* printer and a plain old *Baltimore #9 *printer? The former is worth a whole lot more money.

Below is Baumgartner & Co.'s *Baltimore #9* printing press, worth a couple hundred bucks,






Baltimore #9 is a lever press, or a sometime called a 'Rail Press'?  Lever press seems more appropriate. This inky gadget was how a small business professional, a traveling salesman or military officer could make his or her own business cards, or what was then known as  'personal calling cards' without using a more costly print shop. The Baltimore #9 on display was made after 1885 and before 1895,




The relic is on display today in the front lobby of product label printing company in Toronto Ontario Canada, and I wrote it up on Dumpdiggers as Baltimore #9 printer, 1880s custom printing solution in the USA.  This was office equipment in the 1890s, esp for salesmen and busy shipping & receiving, warehouses making stock labels etc 




Collector Bob Pontarollo custom printing historian at Lorpon Labels reads the faint impression created by the type on the card - the last impression the machine made ..  




it was a woman's name.  Sadly for Bob, the relic he bought six yrs ago doesn't have the correct pedigree - it's not a 'Baltimorean' lever press made by J.F.W. Dorman, its only a 'Baltimore' made by Baumgartner & Co which are more common copies of the former.

Alas how could he have known? These are hard items to catalog; only a very experienced collector with a discerning eye can spot the differences. Can you? 



Today we have digital printers and laser photo copiers and so I think its real cool when modern business people make mini museums by putting obsolete industrial relics from the past on display in their offices. It really puts these items back to work again!


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