Columbian

6 Line

Box 056

Antique | Clarendon | Uppercase, Lowercase & Figures

  • This type measures 6 line in size and was produced with the end-cut method. The type block is stamped Page & Co., Greenville, Ct. which was used by Page and Basset between 1857–1859.
  • This face was first shown as wood type by William H. Page in his 1870 Specimens of Wood Type.
  • Columbian was shown in American Wood Type on page 268. This cut was shown in the folio on page 33.

Type name used by manufacturer:
Hamilton Columbian or No 155
Morgans & Wilcox Columbian [3048]
National Printers’ Materials Columbian
Page Columbian [4155]
Tubbs Columbian
Wells Columbian or No 450 [5047]

This cut is the Page cut.

The manufacturing stamp found on this type was used predominately between 1857–1859, though there are several unexplained instances where it is used on type first introduced after 1870, as this example illustrates.

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

Additional Specimens & Other Content

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

Specimens of Wood Type Manufactured by Wm. H. Page & Co. Greenville, Conn. (1872); ATF Library Collection, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Columbian, page 268, American Wood Type 1828–1900, Rob Roy Kelly (1969)