Empty Two Third Yankee Job Case

Two Third California Case, Improved Type Case

This U.S. case configuration is that of Palmer & Rey Type Specimen Book, 1892, and American Type Founders Pacific Coast Blue Book - Specimens of Type, Printing Machinery, Printing Material, 1896, and American Line Type Book 1906, and Barnhardt Bros & Spindler: Book of Type Specimens No.9 1907 and Hamilton Manufacturing Company: Modern Cabinets, Furniture and Materials for Printers, Catalog 14 c.1907 and Modern Printing Office Furniture Catalog 15, 1922, and American Type Founders Catalogue, 1923, Hamilton Manufacturing Co Printing Plant Equipment, Type Storage Section, Catalog 16, c.1932, and Thompson Cabinet Co Equipment for Printing Plants, Catalog 47, c.1949, all calling it a Yankee case. It is called an Improved Type Case by Sigwalt Manufacturing Co Printing Presses, Type and Equipment, Catalogue No.10, c.1910. However, it is exactly the same as the California of Missouri-Central Type Foundry Price List, 1959. The case lay is Two Third Yankee.

There is some confusion over the nomenclature of Two Third Yankee, Two Third Italic, and Two Third California cases. A full-size Yankee has 2 top rows of 8+8 boxes for caps (eg BBS 1890s and ATF 1923), and the Two Third size would be expected to be a smaller version of the same, ie have rows of 8+8 for caps. The full-size California has cap boxes to the right, in 5 rows of 7, and the Two Third case keeps the rows of 7, but moves them from the right to the top, ie has two full rows of 7+7 boxes. Unfortunately, the Two Third California name is more often given to the 8+8 configuration, leaving the 7+7 to be called Yankee. Indeed, the Black Rock Press, University of Nevada, Reno, has Thompson Cabinet Co 8+8 configured cases with Cal Job stamped on the side. The full size Italic has the same lower case as the California, but its upper bay has 7 rather than 5 rows, still with 7 boxes in each row. Its Two Third (eg BBS) has 7+7 boxes for caps, ie the same as the Two Third California, or so-called Yankee, but has an extra divided box in the bottom row of the lower section. However, Gujarati Type Foundry: Type Book (1928) show an Italic Two Third case without the extra divided box. In contrast, ATF: American Line Type Book (1906) show a Two Third Italic or California, which has 8+8 boxes in the cap rows. This is called a Two Third by Polk: The Practice of Printing (rev ed 1964). There is also a Two Third Improved case that is the same as the Two Third California, ie with 7+7 cap boxes per row, but with two extra cap rows added.

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This page was written in 1988 by David Bolton and last updated 17 January 2016.