A Catalogue and Specimen of Sundry Printing Materials
A short London auction catalogue for the contents of a small printing office, to be sold by Mr. Paterson at Covent Garden on the evening of Tuesday, 20 November 1781, with viewing the day before.
What it is
A short London auction catalogue for the contents of a small printing office, to be sold by Mr. Paterson at Covent Garden on the evening of Tuesday, 20 November 1781, with viewing the day before. Four conditions of sale open it: the highest bidder wins, each buyer pays five shillings down, type cases go with the type at five shillings a pair, and lots must be removed within two days or the deposit is lost. Then come 62 lots. Lots 1 to 37 are founts of type, each named, graded for condition and followed by a line printed in that face: Secretary, Court-Hand, Scriptorial, Black Letter, Saxon, Hebrew, Greek, Roman and Italic, and flowers. Lots 40 to 62 are equipment: a letter press, a rolling press, an imposing stone, cases, galleys, composing sticks and racks.
Why read it now
There is no selling copy in this catalogue, and that is the lesson. It earns belief with three moves that still work. Each lot is named in the trade's own terms. Its condition is stated even when that lowers the price: "new and perfect", "imperfect", "doubtful whether perfect". And each fount proves itself, because its specimen line is printed from the type on sale. Research on online used-goods markets points the same way: Gregory Lewis's 2011 study of eBay Motors found that sellers who disclosed more, in photos and text, got higher prices. What has dated is the goods, the long s, and terms written for the seller, such as a deposit lost if the buyer is slow to collect. Two cautions about this file. The printed text never names Edward Rowe Mores, and it lists cast type and presses, not the punches, matrices and moulds the swipe card describes. Use: when selling used stock or equipment, grade every item in plain words, flaws included, and show each one working rather than a stock photo.
Passages worth keeping
The highest Bidder will be declared the Buyer; but if any Dispute shall arise, the Lot must be put up again.
الشرط الأول يحسم أي خلاف بإعادة عرض القطعة، فالقاعدة معلنة قبل أن يبدأ المزاد.
The Cases are to go with the Letter, at Five Shillings per Pair, being all new, and not included in the Weight.
الحروف تُسعَّر بالوزن، والصناديق الجديدة تُباع معها بثمن مستقل معلن مسبقًا، فلا مفاجآت في الفاتورة.
English Greek, doubtful whether perfect.
البائع يعترف بأنه لا يعرف إن كانت مجموعة الحروف اليونانية كاملة، وهذا الاعتراف يجعل وصفه لبقية القطع أجدر بالتصديق.
The Metal is new, and chiefly consists of Small Founts in Pie.
المعدن جديد لكن أغلبه مجموعات صغيرة مختلطة غير مرتبة، والبائع يقول ذلك صراحة ليعرف المشتري حجم عمل الفرز الذي ينتظره.
To be viewed on Monday the 19th Instant, and to the Time of Sale.
يتيح البائع معاينة البضاعة قبل البيع، فيرى المشتري بعينه ما سيدفع ثمنه.
The scanned text has OCR errors. The passages are quoted from it, with only obvious slips fixed.
What it teaches best
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