Lydian Bold?

Edit: Manually condensed, it would be very close.

a.k.a. CG Lisbon, by Warren Chappell (1938-39). I think you've got it Mike -- it just seems like a condensed version, which could have been done optically with film type, if it was in use when this was printed.

- Mike Yanega

I just looked Lydian up in McGrew's book of 'American Metal Typefaces' and there was a condensed version, created in 1946 by Chappell, but not marketed until 1949. However, it doesn't match the sample very well. There were other similar metal types, like Valiant (Monotype 1940), Czarin (Baltimore Type 1948) and Samson (Ludlow 1940) which were similar pen lettering designs, but not as close as Lydian to the posted sample. There is also mention of a typeface by Koch called 'Offenbach' from 1935, as being the model for Czarin (which is actually very similar to Lydian).

Probably too much information, but I'm hard to stop once I get rolling ;^)

- Mike Yanega

Thanks, Mike. Here is a bit of Koch's Offenbach. His Stahl seems to have been in the same vein, too.

Thanks Mike. Seeing that sample of Offenbach puzzles me, because Stahl looks much closer to 'Czarin' shown in McGrew's book. However, I'd be surprised if 'CybaPee' got the Koch information wrong.

- Mike Yanega

Thanks guys! I even had a copy of Lydian on an old backup zip disk!

Sean Glenn
Art Director
www.superunicorn.com