DETROIT VAPOR OIL STOVE COMPANY, RED STAR, LETTERPRESS PRINTING BLOCK - c1920s

Description: DETROIT VAPOR OIL STOVE COMPANY, RED STAR, LETTERPRESS PRINTING BLOCK - c1920s Lead and Wooden Letterpress Printing Block. Circa 1920s. NOTE꞉ If you want to purchase a piece of American stove history, don't buy an image ripped out of some magazine or newspaper. Instead, buy the printing block that printed the actual image! QUANTITY꞉ ONE vintage Detroit Vapor Oil Stove “Red Star” letterpress printing block. related. PLEASE NOTE: We have included a Detroit Vapor Oil Stove advertisement as an example of the types of advertisements the company was running in newspapers in the early 1920s. The digital advertising image is NOT included with your purchase. PRODUCED꞉ 1920s. WHAT'S A LETTERPRESS BLOCK?꞉ In the late 1800's (and up through the mid-1900's) books, posters, tickets, forms, newspapers and other types of printed paper were produced on a printing press. Movable type and wooden / metal printing blocks (also known as a letterpress cut or printing dies) were set in a frame (known as a chase) and ink was rolled over the surface of the metal image with a roller (also known as a brayer) before the paper was pressed into the inked surface. This process was known as relief printing which included woodcut, relief etching, linocut, linotype, and metal cut. You are purchasing an EXTREMELY rare / unique, image copyrighted printing block believed to have been used in a private printing house or at a newspaper, to print the Detroit Vapor Stove Company's advertising for their Red Star product line. DIMENSIONS꞉ This letterpress block measures 0.90" deep by 7.55” high by 3.65" wide and weighs approximately 12.0 ounces (341 grams). This is a professionally made, letterpress block used for printing. It shows surface wear from being in the press. Based upon the other blocks within the group, our research, and this block's particular assembly and composition, this block is believed to have been produced and used during the early 1920s. ABOUT THE DETROIT VAPOR STOVE COMPANY: According to "Detroit's Delectable Past" by Bill Loomis, the industry of manufacturing stoves began in New York due to the availability of high quality casting sand. Stove manufacturing quickly spread across the United States. Relative to the other American cities, Detroit entered the stove industry rather late, around 1861. Eventually known as the "Stove capital of the world," Detroit, by the 1870s, had a number of large stove companies: Detroit Stove Company, Michigan Stove Company, the Art Stove Company and the Detroit Vapor Stove Company. By 1908, there were a dozen stove companies employing 7,500 people consuming 80,000 tons of iron to produce stoves (which burned wood, coal & coke), ranges, and gas stoves (which burned natural gas, oil, kerosene, gasoline or distillate). An advertisement on Page 24 of the February 7, 1920 edition of American Artisan and Hardware Record reported "...Its service giving qualities commend it as an economical oil stove. A durable eight and a half pound burner, without wicks or wick substitutes, provides the fire. It is said that the amount of heat obtained by the Red Star Detroit Vapor Oil Stove is more economical than wood, coal, or gas The heating apparatus is so arranged that the flames are directed under the cooking utensils. A positive valve control regulates the heat like city gas. By simply turning the valve the operator of this oil stove can always have a quick hot fire or a slow steady fire. A double flue oven bakes perfectly and as fast as a gas range declares the manufacturers..." An advertisement in the June 1, 1918 edition of The Country Gentleman (see a digital scan of this advertisement in the listing's photographs), advertised the Detroit Vapor Stoves gives 19 hours of baking and cooking heat to a gallon of fuel. Fuel could be Oil, Gasoline or Distillate. Their stoves started at $20 and went up. Due to the war, The Fuel Administration allowed the company to say these types of stoves allowed for the conservation of coal (which was needed for the war). According to period advertisements, Detroit Vapor Stoves burned either gasoline or kerosene and "works just like a gas stove... Simply turn on a valve and light the vapor." The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported in its August 31, 1934 financial section that the Borg-Warner Corporation had acquired the Detroit Vapor Stove Company and would operate it as a subsidiary. A Borg-Warner advertisement in the June 26, 1950 issue of Life magazine, still listed the Detroit Vapor Stove company as a unit of Borg-Warner. Borg-Warner Corporation had been created in 1928 by the merger of four mid-western manufacturing companies: Borg & Beck Company, Warner Gear Company, Marvel-Schebler Carburetor Corporation, and Mechanics Universal Joint Company This very old, extremely rare Detroit Vapor Stove printing block makes a perfect gift for yourself, your coffee or end table, on your desk at work, on a shelf or in your collection. It also makes a fantastic gift. Given the advent of digital printing, the likelihood of ever finding another one of these metal & wood blocks - with this image - is slim at best. NOTES ABOUT THE IMAGE SURFACE: Every time a die passes through the printing press, the pressure of the die imprinting on the paper subtly degrades the surface of the plate/die/block. Please see the photo if you have any questions regarding the suitability of this block if you actually intend to use it for printing. IMAGE CORRECTION / ADJUSTMENT: One of this listing's photographs has been intentionally reversed. That image is a "mirrored image" so that you can see what the image would look like when it was printed (as well as read any text). The printing block you will receive will be reversed from what you see in that listing's photo (reversed from what was printed on the actual page). SHIPPING COST꞉ Your shipping cost is calculated when checking out. This letterpress block is fairly heavy item. To keep your shipping cost as low as possible, it's based on “DIM” (i.e. weight, package size and final destination). This item ships by United States Mail, FedEX, UPS or eBay International Delivery (the shipping carrier is of the Seller's choice). Orders typically ship within one business day of your payment being received.

Price: 25.99 USD

Location: Dayton, Ohio

End Time: 2025-01-11T04:15:40.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD

Product Images

Item Specifics

All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted

Antique: Yes

Installation: Does not apply

Venting Type: Does not apply

Number of Burners: Does not apply

Control Design: Does not apply

Color: Does not apply

Material: Lead and wood

Surface: Does not apply

California Prop 65 Warning: Contains lead which can cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. Exposure to lead and lead compounds may increase cancer risk and may cause anemia, weakness, kidney and brain / neurological damage.

Vintage: Yes

Brand: Detroit Vapor Stove

Design: Does not apply

Type: Letterpress Printing Block

Unit Type: Unit

Exhaust Air Power: Does not apply

Capacity: Does not apply

Model: Letterpress Printing Block

Number of Ovens: Does not apply

Hood Width: Does not apply

Country/Region of Manufacture: United States

Unit Quantity: 1 letterpress block

Headroom: Does not apply