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What is the font of the Washington Post?

Type font for numbering on old post office boxes

  • I'm looking for a type font that was used for the numbering on early-to-mid twentieth century post office boxes. The font is brass or gold in color, with slight shadowing or some other contrivance that gives it some dimensionality or relief or shadowing. It's sort of the same font that you see from the 1950's on lawyer's office windows or doors in cities, although that's a fleeting impression I have. It may have a bit of serif, but not much. It's a 'thick' font, although not like Bauhaus, where the lines are all the same thickness. Sorry to be so hazy in recalling it, but I haven't seen it in 30 years. I've tried type finder services, but they want me to answer questions about the letters in the font, and I don't really have an impression of those, just the numbers. Thanks, font detectives!

  • Answer:

    Postmaster says he'll look into it. Was totally stymied by the question but thought it was interesting.

eaglehound at Ask.Metafilter.Com Visit the source

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Do you have access to a photo of something similar? Might you be thinking of letter that are actually http://www.newbohemiasigns.com/portfolio.html, and not a font at all?

migurski

Rock Steady

I'm embarrassed to say I didn't look for old photos! It looks exactly like https://secure.flickr.com/photos/eaglehounds/8510799102/. It is ahttps://secure.flickr.com/photos/eaglehounds/8509691647, and the dimensionality was given by a red highlight, not shadowing. Just as Rock Steady points out. Thanks for pointing out what should have been obvious, migurski!

eaglehound

Hey that is exactly what http://www.flickr.com/photos/iamthebestartist/2764332732/ looks like. Weirdly you've included my PO box number, but that's not mine because the numbers are scraped off in a different way. I can ask at the post office what they use (or used) for the numbers if it's helpful.

jessamyn

jessamyn, it was probably a government decal contract that was last renewed in 1967, but please do ask, as all help is appreciated.

eaglehound

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