UBB.threads Forums General Militaria Names, Documents, Photos and Translation Forum genuine page of lead linotype for Mein Kampf?

Hello all,
I came in contact with a person who claims that a block of lead linotype he showed me was for a page of Mein Kampf. I read that all of it had been destroyed right after the war. Is it possible that some of it survived? Is anyone aware of any in existence?

Elmo

Here is a picture of the type. The clarity is not that great because it is a scanned photo. It is the only way I knew how to get it below 123kb. The illegible numer in the top right corner is 742 which corresponds to the number on the wrapping paper it was in.

This is very interesting.. I wonder, is this something easy to dummy up? If you knew what volume of MK it is from you should be able to match it perfectly!
If you don't mind,,are they asking a lot of money for it?,,lets say a few $100 dollars? more? much less?

I believe it does match to page 742. There was a compact version printed in 1940 that was 782 pages long. The book measured 4.5"x6.5". The block of type is 3 7/16 x 6". As of now, we are just trying to get as much info as possible. I was hoping someone on the forum might be able to give some insight on it. i posted a few very nice pictures on WARRELICS.COM.

E. , Well your going to have to aquire the vol of MK and check every letter/number/flaw etc. exactly,,if it matchs then I'd say congradulations are in order.. Good luck,,keep us posted...

My father stillhas a working linotype.

Gaspere, if you want, my brother and I will make a page up for you matching the faunts perfectly. Say, $50 per page. Once the faunt is identified, we can just mass produce one page.

In all seriousness, this is probably original, but it can be duplicated by anyone with a linotype, and there were thousands of linotypes.

I would love to see page 742 from MK feldpost edition!!! Does anyone have a copy?? If you can find a copy PLEASE post it. I have searched all over trying to find a copy of that page but I can't. Also, If something like this could be so easily duplicated, you would think that somebody would. They have already replicated just about every Nazi artifact one could think of. In addition, I think it would be easy to test the paper, the cord that's wrapped around the type and even the lead itself to see if it is a period piece. I'm just curious to hear if anyone has ever heard of a collector that had a piece similar to this.

Jim, but do you have the little swastikas!

I've aways heard the 'reloading' guys grab all that old type up for their custom bullets! Well sure I guess if the fonts matched the book exactly and you had the Swastikas and whatever other emblems are on it, and the old type this could be made..
Elmo, maybe ink it up and make a print and post it on all the forums. There are collectors that specialize in MKs,,you just got to find them and hope they recognize the page setup/fonts!

My brothers first response was to make a print of the page.

Elmo, allyou need is an hand ink roller, a piece of paper, a block of wood, and a hammer and you can print a proof page.

I made a print of the first paragraph. This is the best print I could get even after several attempts. Looking forward to reading replies.

I would like to see a close up of the base of the linotype where the letters are sitting. It appears to be shiny and not oxidized at all compared to the lead sections between the paragraphs. I have worked in printshops and set type by hand one letter at a time and up to modernized type setting that did one line at a time. The German type setting from back then until now would seriously dark gray in color. The middle section shows that.



This is quite a huge possibility in this age of technology. At the print shop I worked at One of the guys in the rubber stamp department, copied an image of a pizza coupon ( buy 10 get 1 free) We had alot of pizza in those days.

That is the only red flag I see right now is the lead itself. I cant help with the lettering, but it looks right.
Also lead dents very easily especially on letters after hitting the floor or being bumped into a hard object.

So Elmo I understand that it is a scanned photo, so it is hard to really see anything close.
My assessment is that the dark gray lead stands out more,, and I dont see that shiney sheen to it, like the type set letters. .



Is this type in your possession to where you can shoot another photo with no flash but with more room light?
If you can get closer and so that I can see the spacing between words I will be able to tell if it was done recently or not. best regards Larry

Looks like the real deal to me.

I will post more pics of the oxidation. Until then, I would still like to know if anyone has ever heard of a person/collector having a piece such as this. I've searched all over the net and found nothing. Also, if anyone can get a copy of the MK compact/feldpost edition and post page 742 that would be great. Thanks.

"having a piece such as this."

Well, This falls under the category of having something like the original working/master dies for medals and badges. Patterns for uniforms. Document ink stampers. There are vets that brought home dies for coins, stamps, paper headers etc.. - The stuff is out there....

Many/most of these linotypes went the way of the scrap pile. This type I'd say is only around because it might be from an original setup for a MK.!
I hope there is a match up and everything works out for you.........

Does this help?

Elmo, I have some questions for you:

1. Was the block/page of linotype packaged? If yes, then how so? Were there any markings on the packaging?

2. Are the linotype slugs secured into one block/page? If yes, then how so?

The answers to the questions above may reveal if the block/page of linotype is a genuine Third Reich period piece.

-SeriousCollector

I see you reversed Elmo's picture. Based on what I see, it appears to be a word-for-word match of page 742 of an online version at http://www.harrold.org/rfhextra/download/Adolf%20Hitler%20-%20Mein%20Kampf%20-%20German.pdf

Interesting.....

-SeriousCollector

Thanks for posting that link. I find it interesting that the online text has an "X" at exactly the same spot where the block of type has the swastika.
To answer your first question, Yes. The block of type was wrapped in a yellowish paper. It appears that there are some markings on it, but hard to make out what it is. I will try to post a picture so you can look at it yourself. All the lines of type are being held together by a cord about an 1/8 inch in diameter. I will try to post a pic of that as well. Thanks again.