new-Large Presses-Click on any exhibit for larger images
These two large seal presses crossed history around 1918 prior to Armistice Day. Our government had formed the “Alien Property Custodian” as a government office with extraordinary powers during war-time in 1917. This Custodian had responsibility for the seizure and administration of what was considered subversive economic factors detrimental to this county (aka Axis alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan) The sale of enemy property in the United States was profitably legal now. Nascent German –American breweries were considered a “Fifth Column” of subversives by America. American hard cider bottlers which was the most popular American adult beverage until Beer was discovered by American palates and lost all of their market share to German style Beer.
During this time the assets of the “Charles Hellmuth Company” (which was a derived Trade name used by the German Ink Company Kast & Ehinger of Stuttgart) were confiscated by the US Government as alien property under provisions of Trading With the Enemy Act. They were thereafter sold for a fraction of their value, under questionable practices by office director Palmer. A subsequent review of Palmer's tenure detailed profits earned by his friends and politicians on his sales of “enemy assets”.
During this time the assets of the “Charles Hellmuth Company” (which was a derived Trade name used by the German Ink Company Kast & Ehinger of Stuttgart) were confiscated by the US Government as alien property under provisions of Trading With the Enemy Act. They were thereafter sold for a fraction of their value, under questionable practices by office director Palmer. A subsequent review of Palmer's tenure detailed profits earned by his friends and politicians on his sales of “enemy assets”.
The large indented back seal press for the Alien Property Custodian was made/sold by the venerable Washington firm, the “Lamb Seal And Stencil Co, 24-26 13th Street, NW Washington DC”, which is the earliest address for this firm (circa 1917.) Also sourced was an 1918 invoice for this government seal for over five dollars. Considering the Larger County Press was 12 dollars this was an expensive seal. This seal is over 13 inches high and nine pounds, making it among the largest indented body press at the turn of the century.
|
Hellmuth used the very large County Seal Press, at 33 pounds was the largest production seal press around the turn of the century. A 1907 B.B. Hill advertisement shows the press amongst other designs in the varied stamping press stock carried by B.B. Hill. Unfortunately this type 1907 "County" seal press has been represented as one allegedly dating much earlier in the 1800’s with bogus embossing plates of historic organizations selling for over ten thousand dollars. Pure chicanery if not outright fraud, but the uneducated thrive with a good back-story. While forgery of ink stamp/wax stamps seals is rampant, not many lever seal presses have been reproduced. However an educated public will drive rare seal press prices up in the future! These cast-iron fancy artistic works are the rarest of the rare Americana. Tons and tons of old seal presses were melted between the World Wars. The ferrous metal and precious copper boosted the home war effort (that’s why the 1943 US penny is steel not copper)
The grandeur of this press and size made it popular with institutions, governments and high rollers who wanted to exude quality of their time. Such was Hellmuth, a producer of very fine metallic Inks and pioneer in Ink printing. The Hellmuth logo in the center of our press seal consisted of the Greek caduceus frequently used as a symbol representing printing, protector of merchants and three six pointed stars (Star of David). The six pointed stars stood for the best quality available. These stars festooned large numbers of German logos on harmonicas, pens, guns and more. A six pointed star marked on weaponry meant it was approved by the Brits or the US as the best grade. In then current German Beer Logos the six pointed star meant unequaled quality. Around World War Two the six pointed star disappeared from most German items, via Nazi decree. |