Rediscovery of various old print/type blocks/stamps!

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Thought I'd lost these after closing my antiques shop:Variety!

Most of these never got used in my other collage work, or the few times they did, they didn't fit somehow.  But I loved them and hung onto them after closing the shop, then promptly lost them in storage and feared I'd given them away.

Although not much of a stamper, I am dying to use these old things in mail-art, and have done it a little bit in the past week, since re-finding them.  I even dream of using them for people's entire names and addresses on envelopes.  Is that nuts?

In the top photo, you can see a few I-think-lead printer's blocks/stamps, used for various companies in Holland, Michigan, several decades ago.  (You can also see the mouthpiece for false teeth that belonged to the grandfather of my ex-best-friend, but never mind.)  Here are some as stamped out in my sketchbook the other night:

All the others, both wood and rubber, came from various auctions here in Maine -- a nice variety in both size and font of alphabet letters and numbers.  I always bid on that stuff because I loved it, never knowing what I'd actually do with it.

The challenge now will be not to overdo it, which is kind of a foreign concept in this house.  Send help if you can.

 

[prettylily]

What a wonderful collection of stamps!  Can't wait to see your creative use of them.  Years ago, I had quite a few and lost them in a move.  :-(   Katerina is so right, you can do some great asemics with these.  I will be looking forward to watching you incorporate them, into your work.  Your sketchbook reminds me of one of my working surfaces.  I like to trest out colors, stamps, etc, and then eventually use it in some way in mt mail art.  Great fun!   

[Nancy Bell Scott]

And you shall have one, Lesley!  Actually, I'm almost done with what I was working on for you, but can easily add some antique stamping -- this is going to be a blast.  Everyone who has appreciated the antique type blocks and commented here will receive a piece featuring them.  Of course, after that, so will everyone else, probably! :--)  For how will I know when to stop?  No way.  Luckily.

[Lesley Magwood Fraser]

Nice stamping nancy! Now we all want works with these stamps on!

[1cgqtuoblpeqc]

no, it was actually more a flashback to 7th grade when someone moved to our town from holland and brought their wooden shoes to school.

 

DW and i haven't really seemed to find a common footing yet;

in the meantime i've been "tiptoeing" around so as not to encroach their space. ;-D

[Nancy Bell Scott]

[Nancy Bell Scott]

There are so many duplicates of letters in that big dark tray.  Some of you will have to receive some along with art from me ...

SH, does your notice of the wooden shoe have anything to do with Dark Wall?  Don't make me nervous!

The lead blocks, and the shoe is one, came from boxes of many hundreds I was given by my husband's brother-in-law, who ran a printery in Holland, Michigan.  Unfortunately I sold lots of them, but still have a few dozen left so am not complaining.  These turned up again just in time for me to include many more than one wooden shoe when I sent mail to Ruud along with the bumperstickers.

[1cgqtuoblpeqc]

WOODEN SHOES!!!!!!!!

[Marie Wintzer]

Such a treasure!! Great!

[Nancy Bell Scott]

You will all get some of the results, just for posting comments.

Katerina, asemic writing with stamped letters, really?  Ooooo.  Hey, maybe some has already been posted somewhere here, yes?

[Thom Courcelle]

I can just picture you now with stamp ink all over your hands and fingers, and your husband walking into your studio to discover you in the midst of the most ecstatic, exhilarating rubber stamping mess ever!  Have fun!!!