Empty U.S. Lower Case

This U.S. typecase configuration is shown by Van Winkle The Printers' Guide, 1818 and is effectively the standard U.S. configuration, matching for example Mackellar American Printer, 2nd ed. 1866, 5th ed. 1870 and still in 17th ed. 1889, Harpel Typograph or Book of Specimens, 1870, Ringwalt American Encyclopaedia of Printing, 1871, Curtis & Mitchell Reduced Price List of Types, Borders, Cuts, Rules and other Printing Materials, c.1878 and 1886 and Southward Practical Printing, 1882. It is the News Lower of Barnhart Bros & Spindler Pony Specimen, 1893 and Cleveland Type Foundry Catalogue and Price List of Type and Material, 1893 and the Lower of Palmer & Rey Specimen Book, 1892, American Type Founders Specimen of Wood Type and Catalogue of Printers Wood Goods and Materials, 1893 and Lockwood American Dictionary of Printing and Bookmaking, 1894, American Type Founders Blue Book, 1895 and American Line Type Book, 1906 and Specimen, 1923, De Vinne Modern Methods of Book Composition, 1904 and 1914, Barnhart Bros & Spindler Book of Type Specimens No.9, 1907 and Hamilton Manufacturing Company, Modern Cabinets, Furniture and Materials for Printers, Catalog 14 c.1907 (also used for German and Hebrew) and Henry Printing for School and Shop, 1917. It is the Lower News of Polk Vocational Printing, 1918 and Hague Textbook of Printing Occupations, 1922 and the Lower model 2725 of the Hamilton Manufacturing Co Modern Printing Office Furniture, Catalog 15, 1922 and Printing Plant Equipment, Type Storage Section, Catalog 16, c.1932. It is the News Lower shown by Polk The Practice of Printing, 1926 and 1937 and 1964, the Lower of Updike Printing Types, 1937 and Thompson Equipment for Printing Plants, Catalog 47, 1949 and the News Lower of Missouri-Central Price List, 1959. It is also the English Lower shown by Hostettler The Printer's Terms, 1949 and 4th ed. 1963.

Note that there are 54 boxes, and that the 7th and 8th boxes from the right in the top row are separate boxes, whereas they form a single box in the standard English Lower case (which has only 53 boxes). The actual type lay is Van Winkle, and the companion empty Upper is the standard upper configuration of Moxon, et al., although in the 20th century, an improved News Cap was introduced.