13 Comments Add your own

• 1. Todd Falkowsky  |  December 9th, 2011 at 10:59

  This was sent in this week with a note asking about the font used…any type nerds want to give this a shot?

• 2. Rob  |  December 9th, 2011 at 11:28

  If it weren’t for the O’s I’d say it’s Futura Demi bold

• 3. Angela Noonan  |  December 9th, 2011 at 11:29

  century gothic?

• 4. Danielle Wojtyniak  |  December 9th, 2011 at 11:30

  Looks like Gill Sans MT, with wide tracking?

• 5. A Reader  |  December 9th, 2011 at 11:35

  Century gothic? Twentieth Century?

• 6. A Reader  |  December 9th, 2011 at 12:40

  The R isn’t right for futura, the M isn’t right for Fill Sans.

• 7. Jo Mrozewski  |  December 9th, 2011 at 13:25

  I’m the one who submitted this. Thanks for your thoughts. All these are close, but definite differences. The closest seems Gill Sans MT, except for the very different M and R …. but I’ve got the original (actually, a whole pile of them) so I have an advantage.

  A bigger question: does anyone know where there might be a repository of fonts and design used by the feds (or other Canadian govts) historically? I find lots of old paper in old abandoned boats and buildings on the BC coast, where I found this. And it’s really hard to match the fonts to anything I know (though that isn’t much).

  Thanks for your help.

• 8. Matt Warburton  |  December 9th, 2011 at 14:06

  Looks kinda like Syntax to me at a glance.

• 9. Todd Falkowsky  |  December 9th, 2011 at 14:58

  what a mystery…

• 10. A Reader  |  December 9th, 2011 at 16:05

  Problem is, it isn’t a digital typeface. Would have been a lead original (probably not even phototypeset).

• 11. Rod McDonald  |  December 10th, 2011 at 06:13

  I believe this is Metrolite No. 2 from Mergenthaler Linotype. Linotype was a very common hot metal system throughout the twentieth century and most major cities in North America had a least one Linotype shop. It is quite likely that some of your other documents would have also been set on Linotype equipment.

  Metro was originally designed by W. A. Dwiggins in 1930 for Linotype and was their answer to the popular European sans like Futura and Gill Sans. In 1932 several characters in the Metro series were redesigned and it was re-released as Metro No. 2.

  Hope this helps
  Rod

• 12. A Reader  |  December 12th, 2011 at 14:14

  Absolutely Metrolite No. 2, of which there is a digital equivalent:

  http://www.linotype.com/1229/Metrolite2-family.html

• 13. Jo Mrozewski  |  December 13th, 2011 at 11:28

  This is fabulous. It’s so Metrolite. Thanks huge bunches for the info and the link, and the guesses too.

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