Details about Gordon Letterpress. Rare, fully restored 1860's platen press in working order. Museum quality piece of printing history ready to print Popular 19 viewed per hour

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This press is one of the earliest made by George Phineas Gordon. It was made prior to 1872 and could be as early as 1863. It is complete! All original parts except for replaced gripper bars and a replaced tympan clamp. We had a blacksmith recreate these parts using rescued 19th century metals. Even the feed boards are original. We have outfitted this beauty with new rollers and trucks from Ramco. This is an extremely rare, museum quality, piece of printing history.

It prints as if it is new. The action on this press is amazing. It takes very little pressure on the treadle to get the fly wheel moving. We took extra care in properly cleaning all moving parts and lubrication holes. It comes with one original chase. The original brass patent plate is still intact.

George Phineas Gordon (April 21, 1810 � January 27, 1878) was an American inventor, printer and businessman who developed the basic design of the most common printing press ever, the Gordon Letterpress.

Born in Salem, New Hampshire, where his family had lived for more than one hundred years, he was educated there and at Boston before deciding to become an actor. Failing to achieve a livelihood at this, he moved to New York where he became an apprentice printer. Upon learning the trade, he opened a job printing shop of his own. Around 1835 he began to experiment in press design. His first patent for a job-press was granted in 1851. While this press had many flaws, he began to manufacture it as the "Yankee" job press. Subsequently he introduced the "Turnover" and the "Firefly," which could produce 10,000 printed cards an hour. About 1858 he produced the "Franklin" press, which has ever since been known as the Gordon Jobber. (Gordon claimed that Benjamin Franklin had revealed the basic design of the press to him in a dream.) It was strong, well built, and easy to operate. The Gordon Press solved the problem of clam-shell presses (which previously had "snapped" and endangered pressmen's fingers) by having the platen open on cams, so that it was flat and lagged for the pressman as he fed the sheet, before closing parallel to the type bed.

Gordon began manufacturing presses in Rhode Island but in 1872 established his factory in Rahway, New Jersey. This is a Rhode Island press.

We will crate the press for shipping for an additional $200. If you pick it up at our studio we will walk you through the operation and maintenance of the press. You will need a dock height vehicle to load the press. A fork lift operator is available locally if you come with a trailer. There would be an additional few for his services.