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1900's PRINTERS CABINET - $3,998
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ANTIQUE EARLY-1900s PRINTER’S CABINET — TUBBS MFG. CO. / HAMILTON COMPONENT — ORIGINAL TYPE
This is an early 20th-century printer’s cabinet with original printer’s type, multiple drawer configurations, and components associated with two highly regarded manufacturers of printer’s furniture. A unique piece for a collector of printing history, typography, antique advertising, or industrial Americana.
This early-1900s printer’s cabinet was manufactured by The Tubbs Manufacturing Co. of Ludington, Michigan, rather than being a handmade piece. The cabinet contains numerous original drawers, each configured differently for organizing printer’s type of various sizes and styles.
Approximately 95% of the type is small type, comparable in size to the type traditionally used for books and other fine printing.
CABINET DIMENSIONS
Width at front: approximately 70"
Height at front: approximately 46"
Height at back: approximately 57"
Depth front to back: approximately 25¾"
Bottom clearance: approximately 7¾"
Legs: stands on six legs
The cabinet's substantial size and specialized drawer configuration make it an especially interesting example of the furniture used in commercial printing operations during the early 20th century.
TUBBS MANUFACTURING CO.
The cabinet was manufactured by The Tubbs Mfg. Co., Ludington, Michigan, in the very early 1900s. This is significant because the cabinet is a manufactured piece of printer’s furniture, rather than a custom handmade cabinet.
There are two Tubbs drawers in the cabinet.
One of the Tubbs drawers is particularly identifiable because it matches the color of the cabinet and features a cast-iron embossed pull. Research into antique printer’s furniture indicates that Tubbs pieces are sought after by collectors of historic printing equipment and furniture.
Photographs of the Tubbs drawers is included so you can see the drawer construction, color, and identifying hardware.
HAMILTON COMPONENT
The cabinet also includes one Hamilton drawer.
In addition, there is a paper label on the back of the cabinet identifying the spacer cabinet as a Hamilton cabinet. Hamilton Manufacturing Company was a major and highly regarded manufacturer of printer’s cabinets and furniture, making the surviving Hamilton identification particularly interesting to collectors.
A photograph of the paper Hamilton label is included, along with a photograph of the metal identification plate located at the bottom of the cabinet.
SEPARATE SPACER CABINET
Also included is a spacer cabinet, measuring approximately:
32½" high
16" wide
10¼" deep
The Hamilton identification mentioned above is associated with this spacer cabinet.
ORIGINAL PRINTER’S TYPE
The cabinet contains a substantial quantity of original printer’s type in numerous sizes and styles.
Approximately 95% of the type is small type, similar in size to the type traditionally used for setting books. The different type sizes, styles, and drawer configurations provide an excellent illustration of how professional printers organized and stored individual pieces of type before the widespread transition to modern printing technologies.
This is not simply an antique storage cabinet—the drawers and their contents represent an important part of the history of traditional letterpress printing.
WHAT MAKES THIS PIECE UNUSUAL
This cabinet brings together several elements that make it particularly interesting to collectors:
• Very early 1900s manufacture
• Tubbs Mfg. Co. of Ludington, Michigan
• Two identifiable Tubbs drawers
• One Hamilton drawer
• Hamilton paper identification label
• Metal identification plate
• Original printer’s type included
• Approximately 95% small/book-sized type
• Numerous drawer configurations and type sizes/styles
• Large, substantial commercial printer’s cabinet
• Six-legged base with approximately 7¾" bottom clearance
• Example of early commercial printing furniture
This would make an excellent addition to a collection of antique printing equipment, letterpress equipment, printer’s furniture, typography, advertising memorabilia, industrial Americana, or early-20th-century commercial furniture.
Because of its size, history, manufacturer markings, original components, and quantity of type, this is a piece that deserves to be viewed as a historic printing artifact as well as a piece of antique furniture.
Additional photographs of the identification plates, labels, individual drawers, type, and cabinet details are available upon request.
Dimensions: approximately 70"W × 25¾"D × 46"H at front; approximately 57"H at back.
Spacer cabinet: approximately 32½"H × 16"W × 10¼"D
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******** TUBBS MANUFACTURING COMPANY ********
The Tubbs Manufacturing Company was an early 20th-century American manufacturer of wood type, printers' cabinets and composing cases, and other specialized wood furniture. The business originated in South Windham, Connecticut, under Charles Tubbs as the American Wood Type Company.
In 1902, Charles Tubbs changed the company's name to Tubbs & Co., a name reflected on its manufacturer's markings. In December 1904, four employees—including the superintendent, a case-department employee, the general manager, and a type designer—purchased Tubbs's controlling interest. By early 1905, they had relocated the operation to Ludington, Michigan, and renamed it Tubbs Mfg. Co. The company's Ludington markings are commonly found stamped on its printers' cabinets, drawers, and other furniture.
Tubbs became involved in a significant dispute with the Hamilton Manufacturing Company, which alleged that Tubbs had obtained or used Hamilton's industrial secrets. The lawsuit continued for several years and was dismissed in October 1908 without a settlement. Nevertheless, Hamilton subsequently acquired Tubbs Manufacturing Company in June 1909. Hamilton continued operating the Ludington facilities until June 1912, when the operation was closed and the property sold.
Bottom line: Tubbs was a relatively short-lived but significant manufacturer in the American printing-furniture and wood-type industry. Its most identifiable period was 1905–1909 in Ludington, Michigan, when it produced quality wooden printers' equipment, including the cabinets and multi-drawer type cases that survive today. Pieces bearing the “TUBBS MFG. CO. — LUDDINGTON, MICH.” stamp are therefore associated with the company's Ludington manufacturing period and are now sought after as examples of historic American printing furniture.
Marking chronology:
1902–1904: TUBBS & CO. — one-line marking.
1905–1909: TUBBS MFG. CO. / LUDDINGTON, MICH. — two-line marking, with the top line curved.
After June 1909: Tubbs was under Hamilton ownership; the Ludington operation continued until its closure in June 1912