Grecian XX Condensed

23 Line

Box 042

Antique | Egyptian | Uppercase

  • This type measures 23 line in size and was produced with the end-cut method. The type block does not have a manufacturer’s stamp.
  • This face was first shown as wood type by John G. Cooley in his c.1859 Specimens of Wood Type.
  • This cut of Grecian XX Condensed was shown in American Wood Type on page 277 and in the folio on page 26.

Type name used by manufacturer:
Cooley Grecian Double Extra Condensed
Morgans & Wilcox Grecian Double Extra Condensed [3129]
Page Grecian Double Extra Condensed [288]
Wells Grecian Double Extra Condensed [5120]

This is most like the Morgans & Wilcox cut.

Kelly attributed this to being first shown by Cooley in 1850. This is an incorrect date. Cooley’s Specimens of Wood Type cannot be as definitively dated, but due to business address labels printed in the catalog, it can be discerned that it was produced some time between 1859–1863.

simple specimen of Grecian XX Condensed wood type from the Rob Roy Kelly collection, printed in the UT Design Lab

Character Quantities

  • A
    4
  • B
    2
  • C
    2
  • D
    2
  • E
    5
  • F
    2
  • G
    1
  • H
    2
  • I
    2
  • J
    3
  • K
    2
  • L
    3
  • M
    3
  • N
    3
  • O
    4
  • P
    3
  • Q
    1
  • R
    4
  • S
    4
  • T
    4
  • U
    2
  • V
    2
  • W
    3
  • X
    2
  • Y
    2
  • Z
    2
  • 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
    -
  • 1
    -
  • 2
    -
  • 3
    -
  • 4
    -
  • 5
    -
  • 6
    -
  • 7
    -
  • 8
    -
  • 9
    -
  • &
    2
  • $
    -
  • !
    -
  • Open Apos/Comma
    -
  • Close Apos
    1
  • Period
    3
  • Question Mark
    -
  • Colon
    -
  • Semi-Colon
    -
  • Dash
    1
  • Ligature
    -
  • Other
    -

Additional Specimens & Other Content

antique original wood type specimen catalog from wood type manufacturers in the 1800s featuring Grecian XX Condensed type

Supplementary Specimens of Wood Type, Rule, Borders, &c (1860); John M.Wing Foundation, Newberry Library, Chicago.

Grecian XX Condensed specimen book page from American Wood Type 1828-1900 by Rob Roy Kelly

Grecian XX Condensed, page 277, 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, three columns of type spanning height of page, two different sizes of wood type

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