Ancient Gothic

15 Line

Box 112

Gothic | Lineal | Uppercase & Figures

  • This type measures 15 line in size and was produced with the end-cut method. The type block is stamped American W. T. Co. which was used by Tubbs between 1878–1883.
  • This face was first shown as wood type by William H. Page in his 1882 Specimens of Wood Type and Borders.
  • This cut of Ancient Gothic was shown in American Wood Type on page 304 and in the folio on page 70.

Type name used by manufacturer:
Hamilton Gothic Condensed No 6 or No 205
Morgans & Wilcox Gothic No 2 [3080]
National Printers’ Materials Block Gothic
Page No 133 [4205]
Tubbs Ancient Gothic or No 2057
Wells Gothic Condensed Light Face No 2 [5080]

This is the Hamilton cut.

Leavenworth showed an un-condensed version named Gothic No 2 in his 1837 Leavenworth’s Patent Wood Type.

Kelly noted that while Leavenworth first showed the angled corner style in 1837 it did not gain wide popularity until the 1870s.

simple specimen of Ancient Gothic wood type from the Rob Roy Kelly collection, printed in the UT Design Lab
simple specimen of Ancient Gothic wood type from the Rob Roy Kelly collection, printed in the UT Design Lab

Character Quantities

  • A
    3
  • B
    2
  • C
    2
  • D
    2
  • E
    3
  • F
    2
  • G
    2
  • H
    2
  • I
    2
  • J
    2
  • K
    1
  • L
    4
  • M
    2
  • N
    3
  • O
    2
  • P
    2
  • Q
    1
  • R
    2
  • S
    4
  • T
    3
  • U
    2
  • V
    2
  • W
    2
  • X
    1
  • Y
    2
  • Z
    1
  • a
    -
  • b
    -
  • c
    -
  • d
    -
  • e
    -
  • f
    -
  • g
    -
  • h
    -
  • i
    -
  • j
    -
  • k
    -
  • l
    -
  • m
    -
  • n
    -
  • o
    -
  • p
    -
  • q
    -
  • r
    -
  • s
    -
  • t
    -
  • u
    -
  • v
    -
  • w
    -
  • x
    -
  • y
    -
  • z
    -
  • 0
    4
  • 1
    3
  • 2
    2
  • 3
    2
  • 4
    2
  • 5
    2
  • 6
    2
  • 7
    2
  • 8
    2
  • 9
    2
  • &
    1
  • $
    2
  • !
    1
  • Open Apos/Comma
    2
  • Close Apos
    1
  • Period
    1
  • Question Mark
    -
  • Colon
    1
  • Semi-Colon
    -
  • Dash
    1
  • Ligature
    -
  • Other
    -

Additional Specimens & Other Content

antique original wood type specimen catalog from wood type manufacturers in the 1800s featuring Ancient Gothic type

Page’s Wood Type Album, vol. 1, no. 4 (1880); Cary Graphic Arts Collection, Rochester Institute of Technology.

Ancient Gothic specimen book page from American Wood Type 1828-1900 by Rob Roy Kelly

Ancient Gothic, page 304, American Wood Type 1828–1900, Rob Roy Kelly (1969)

letterpress print specimen of wood type from the Rob Roy Kelly American Wood Type Collection Folio Revisited, large yellow numbers in a phone dial format with call me! i love you layered on top in black

From RRK Folio Revisited
Colin Nations, class of 2025
Folio Residency Session 3
2024

letterpress print specimen of wood type from the Rob Roy Kelly American Wood Type Collection Folio Revisited, large black letters in a zig zag formation going down the page

From RRK Folio Revisited
Colin Nations, class of 2025
Folio Residency Session 3
2024