Vintage Baltimore or Baltimorean #11 Letterpress Self-Inking Iron Printing Press

Description

This original vintage tabletop cast iron letterpress printing press was popular at the turn of the 20th century and was used for printing small format jobs, like business cards, or ads.  It was likely manufactured and sold by either the J.F.W. Dorman Company or the Baumgarten Company, each of Baltimore, Maryland, and it is likely over one hundred years old!  After Dorman introduced his “Baltimorean press”, Baumgarten began to copy them and sold them as the “Baltimore Printing Press”.  This press is likely one of these brands, but the previous owner gave it a nice paint job, and neatly painted over the manufacturer's name as well as the gold detailing that was likely there.
This press is likely a Number 11, which is larger and more intricate than some of the smaller (and lower numbered) small presses.  It has a "T-Rocker" clamp for rollers and is therefore a Dual-Roller Press.  (A single roller press would be called a Number 10.)  There are sources for replacement rollers online, if you are interested.  Routinely, lead type would be 'locked' (secured) into the press 'chase' in order to create the printed impression. The press lacks the two rollers which, because they were rubber, could not have stood the test of time. When printing, ink was smeared on the round platen and rollers would roll over the ink and then down over the chase which held the type or cut.  Paper which was inserted inside the brass metal flanges would then be printed on, one sheet at a time!  The press operates smoothly and efficiently with no problem--it is really a mechanical marvel and works pretty much like letterpresses 10 times its size. These desktop presses come much smaller and much larger--this is probably considered to be medium sized. When in use it would is mounted on a wooden base which gives the press stability when printing.  I have mounted this press to wood to also give it stability when shipping.  This press has a beautiful profile and makes a great conversation piece.
In the "arm up", open position this press is 9 ½“ high.  The dimensions of the base of the press is 4 ½” wide x 6 ½“ long, from front to back.  In the closed position "arm back", the press is about 17 ½" long.  The chase (printing area) inside measures about 4 ⅛” x 2 3/16” inches and is adjustable to make it smaller if desired.
I will include
a couple of copies of 1900 vintage ads advertising a smaller model of this type of press.  And when
I learn the name of the winning bidder, I will also include your initials in old wood printing type!