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Manufacturing dates are estimated from the serial number, using an average of 385 presses built per year from 1860 to 1886, and 273/year afterward.
| Owner / Location | Model | Serial No. | Mfg. Date | Further Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The first group of presses has an oval plate mounted on the counter-weight that lists only Degener as the manufacturer, and only the original patent. The serial number is not surrounded by a shield. | ||||
| The Farmers' Museum Cooperstown, New York, USA | 2 | 610 | 1861-1862 |
Ted Shuart (LetPress Oct 22, 2004) The Farmers' Museum |
| Ed Regan Rensselaer, Indiana, USA | 728 | 1861-1863 | from Erik Desmyter | |
| Greene County Historical Museum Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, USA | 2 | 1151 | 1862-1864 |
from Bob Oldham Greene County Historical Museum |
| Private collection Oklahoma, USA | 1156 | 1862-1864 | from Erik Desmyter | |
| Ron Routh Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA | 3 | 1165 | 1862-1864 |
Detailed report Ball State School of Art |
| Brune Printing Company Paulding, Ohio, USA | 2 | 1180 | 1862-1864 |
Dave Brune (LetPress Sep 25, 2009) YouTube video |
| Federal State Museum of Hesse Darmstadt, Germany | 2 | 1518 | 1863-1865 |
Detailed report Federal State Museum of Hesse |
| Mark E. Sackett San Francisco, California, USA | 2 | 1589 | 1863-1865 | Part of press collection at The Box SF; it was in South Bend, Indiana, before 2017 and sold by Boggs Equipment. |
| International Printing Museum Carson, California, USA | 4 | 1638 | 1863-1865 |
from Erik Desmyter International Printing Museum |
| Central Print Saint Louis, Missouri, USA | 2 | 1640 | 1863-1865 |
Central Print Instagram video |
| David Carpenter Warsaw, Missouri, USA | 2 | 2194 | 1865-1866 | David Carpenter (LetPress May 8, 2008) |
| There is a significant gap in serial numbers, so we don't know when the manufacturer's name switched to Degener & Weiler. At last report, the following press was dismantled in storage and unavailable for examination. According to a 1985 exhibition catalog the press was made by Degener and Weiler, New York. | ||||
| Bowne & Co. Stationers, South Street Seaport Museum New York, New York, USA | 3 | Steve Saxe
(LetPress Oct 30, 1996) Erik Desmyter (LetPress Oct 24, 2004) South Street Seaport Museum | ||
| The next group of presses have a shield on the crank shaft listing the manufacturer Degener & Weiler of New York and London. All three Degener patents and the extension are included in the shield. These were probably manufactured between 1874 and 1877. | ||||
| Haliburton Highlands Museum upper Ontario, Canada | 2 | 6140 | 1875-1877 |
from Erik Desmyter Hailburton Highlands Museum |
| Mystic Seaport Museum Mystic, Connecticut, USA | 2 or 2A | 6293 | 1875-1877 |
Detailed report Mystic Seaport Museum |
| Ted Salkin Healdsburg, California, USA | 2A | 6706 | 1876-1877 |
Detailed report Bob Oldham (LetPress May 19, 2005) |
| Weiler bought out the Degener family's interest in the company during 1877. The following press lists the manufacturer as F. M. Weiler of New York and London. The original patent and its extension are included, but the 1870 and 1872 patents are not listed. | ||||
| International Printing Museum Carson, California, USA | 2A | 6918 | 1877-1878 |
Detailed report International Printing Museum |
| The following presses list the manufacturer as F. M. Weiler of New York. (London was dropped.) All three patents and the extension are included. An 1887 ad notes the press is available "with or without throw-off, purchaser's choice." | ||||
| Göta Svensson Holmsund, Sweden | 3 | 8173 | 1880-1882 | from Göta Svensson |
| Private collection France | 2 | 8210 | 1880-1882 | from Erik Desmyter |
| Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin, Germany | 2A | 8546 | 1881-1883 |
from Erik Desmyter Deutsches Technik museum (German Museum of Technology) |
| History San Jose San Jose, California, USA | 3 | 8574 | 1881-1883 |
Detailed report History San Jose Print Shop |
| Patrick Goossens Antwerp, Belgium | 2A | 8739 | 1882-1883 | from Erik Desmyter |
| Druckereimuseum "Benary-Speicher"
Erfurt, Germany | 8826 | 1882-1884 |
Detailed
report Druckereimuseum "Benary-Speicher" | |
| Germany | 8853 | 1882-1884 | Offered in a Nov 25, 2006, auction | |
| Platen Press Museum (Paul Aken) Zion, Illinois, USA | 2A | 8950 | 1882-1884 |
Detailed report Earliest known press with a throw-off, patented in 1886. |
| Father Miguel O'Reilly House
St. Augustine, Florida, USA | 2A | 8965 | 1882-1884 |
from Erik Desmyter Father Miguel O'Reilly House Museum |
| Gabriel Garofalo
Buenos Aires, Argentina | 8995 | 1882-1884 | Facebook video showing press before and after restoration | |
| Private Collection Belgium | 2A(?) | 9003 | 1882-1884 |
from Erik Desmyter No throw-off |
| Muzeum In ynierii Miejskiej w Krakowie Cracow, Poland | 9090 | 1883-1884 |
Picture by Martyn Kramek
No throw-off Muzeum In ynierii Miejskiej w Krakowie | |
| Private Collection Belgium | 2A | 9118 | 1883-1884 |
from Erik Desmyter No throw-off |
| Drukkerijmuseum Meppel Meppel, Netherlands | 9157 | 1883-1885 |
Detailed report No throw-off | |
| Sarah Verroken Lessines, Belgium | 2A | 9223 | 1883-1885 |
Detailed report No throw-off |
| Plombe et Encre
Chavannes-près-Renens (near Lausanne), Switzerland | 10059 | 1885-1887 |
from John Cornelisse Association d'Encre et de Plomb | |
| The press with serial number 10226 has a plaque listing 9 patents dated Nov 1885 to Aug 1887. Presses that included the innovations represented by these patents (including noiseless gripper motion, triple combination fountain, and new throw-off) were marketed as "New Style Noiseless" Liberty presses. The throw-off came on all presses. | ||||
| Kulturhuef (Musées Arts Cinéma) Grevenmacher, Luxembourg | 10221 | 1887-1888 |
Picture from Monika Jakobs
Kulturhuef (Musées Arts Cinéma) | |
| Junin, Bunos Aires, Argentina | 10223 | 1887-1888 |
Instagram Picture from Pablo Fogareta As of May 2014, the press was still in use | |
| Jamie Ferguson New South Wales, Australia | 2A | 10226 | 1887-1888 | Detailed report |
| Heritage Museum Libby, Montana, USA | 3 | 10354 | 1887-1888 | J. Mike Powers (LetPress Apr 23, 1999 and
Nov 23, 2001) Heritage Museum |
| Tempo Srl Belluno, Italy | 2 | 10415 | 1887-1888 | Detailed report |
| Museum for the Printing Arts Leipzig, Germany | 2A | 10424 | 1887-1888 |
Detailed report Museum for the Printing Arts |
| Antonio Saraiva Rodrigues Viseu, Portugal | 4 | 10521 | 1888-1890 | Detailed report |
| The following presses show the manufacturer as F. M. Weiler of New York and Berlin. No patents or extensions are listed. | ||||
| HIRGO (Hoger Instituut voor Grafische Opleiding) Gent, Belgium | 2A | 11883 | 1892-1894 | Erik Desmyter (LetPress Aug 5, 2001) |
| KBR's (formerly Royal Library's) Museum of Book Printing
Brussels, Belgium | 2 or 2A | 11897 | 1892-1894 |
Detailed report KBR |
| Nicolas di Napoli
Santa Rosa La Pampa, Argentina | 12005 | 1892-1894 | Nico di Napoli | |
| Luis Nunes
Penalva do Castelo, Portugal | 2A | 12026 | 1892-1894 |
Detailed report Municipal Library of Penalva do Castelo |
| Erik Desmyter Gent, Belgium | 2A | 12274 | 1893-1895 |
Erik Desmyter (LetPress Aug 5, 2001) (formerly in Briar Press On-Line Press Museum) |
| Maasmechelen Municipal Library Maasmechelen, Belgium | 12938 | 1896-1898 |
Detailed report Maasmechelen Municipal Library | |
| Niall Cook United Kingdom | 4 | 13171 | 1897-1898 | Niall Cook (LetPress Apr 27, 1999) |
| Drukkerijmuseum Strobbe Izegem, Belgium | 2 or 2A | 13263 | 1897-1899 |
Detailed report |
| Private Collection Belgium | 13952 | 1899-1901 | from Erik Desmyter | |
| Cyprien Grégoire Haversin, Belgium | 14185 | 1900-1902 |
Detailed report | |
| Biblioteca Nacional
Montevideo, Uruguay | 3 | 14196 | 1900-1902 |
Detailed report Biblioteca Nacional |
| Private collection Belgium | 2A | 14442 | 1900-1902 | from Erik Desmyter |
| Bibliotheque Universitaire Moretus Plantin
Namur, Belgium | 2(?) | 14463 | 1900-1902 | from Erik Desmyter |
| Museum of Industrial Archaeology and Textile (MIAT)
Gent, Belgium | 3 | 14525 | 1901-1903 |
Detailed report Museum of Industrial Archaeology and Textile |
| Herwig Kempenaers Turnhout, Belgium | 2A | 14631 | 1902-1904 |
Detailed report Historische Drukkerij Turnhout |
| Private Collection Belgium | 2 or 2A | 14697 | 1902-1904 | from Erik Desmyter |
| Private collection Belgium | 14923 | 1903-1905 | from Erik Desmyter | |
| Private Collection Belgium | 3 or 3A | 15290 | 1904-1906 | from Erik Desmyter |
| Serial numbers and descriptions have not been reported for this final group. | ||||
| Letterpress Manufaktur (letterpress studio) Salzburg, Germany |
Description Video on Instagram | |||
| Genadendalse Drukkery/Printing Works Genadendalse, South Africa |
from Helen Evans (on Briar Press) Genadendal Mission Station | |||
| 1905-1906 Underground Printing House Moscow, Russia | Detailed report | |||
| Eduardo Lovo El Salvador | In 2010 Eduardo sent a picture and said
he was "organizing a Printing Museum in El Salvador"; this video may be related. | |||
The following are Liberty-like presses made by other manufacturers:
| Owner / Location | Manufacturer | Further Information |
|---|---|---|
| Kner Printing Industry Museum Gyoma, Hungary | J. Anger and Son Vienna, Austria |
Detailed report
Erik Desmyter (LetPress Jul 11, 2004) Books from the Gyomai Kner Press exhibit |
| Book Art Museum Lodz, Poland | J. Anger and Son Vienna, Austria | from John Cornelisse Serial # 13312; Size: 42x50 cm Book Art Museum |
| Museum of Industrial Archaeology and Textile (MIAT)
Gent, Belgium | Henri Jullien Brussels, Belgium |
YouTube video Museum of Industrial Archaeology and Textile |
| Giuseppe Casazza Lendinara, Italy | J. H. Rust & Co. Vienna, Austria | Detailed report |
If you come across a Liberty press or can provide further information on the ones listed here, please let me know. Here are some tips on how to identify a Liberty press.
Back to the main Liberty Platen Press page
