Wireless Set No. 52 Canadian - Project

[David Dunlop]

Hello Chris.

Thanks for the tip about the Copperplate Gothic font. I did some quick research on it last evening and apparently three individuals worked on developing that font around 1903. It is classed as a 'Serif' font because of the small point details at the ends of the characters; an easy detail to miss on these labels.

I do not yet understand the sizing codes for this font and only about a half dozen could be found on-line last night, but Copperplate Gothic Std 29 BC seems to be a reasonable match to what was used by the team at Canadian Marconi. One thing I did notice is that from the number '29' back to '27', the number '0' gets narrower. By the numbers '30' and '31', the '0' becomes circular and by the number '33' the number '0' gets wider than taller. Not at all sure what the two letter combination at the end of the name relates to.

Hopefully I can dig up more information and fine tune the exact version of this font. It looks very promising. Of course finding a correct match does not equate to a version of it being available for use on our home iMac.

The other possibility is that when I get photos of the full original label, the label is clean enough to be directly replicated. So far, the partial images show some serious dark spots.

When I was a Geology Undergrad at University, the Department had their own Illustrator and his workshop was impressive. That was where all the maps were created for the various publications coming out of the Department. You could help part-time there as students. The huge drafting table was impressive, as was the chair in front of it that had two long pads you rested your chins on. The result was a seated position in which one was tipped forward over the table. It looked uncomfortable but was actually a great work position for extended periods.

Once the artwork was done, we often had to take it to a shop that specialized in Blue Prints and White Prints done from them. An interesting process, the only thing I remember of being the smell of ammonia in the shop. Good times!


David