What is actually in the cases

An inventory is only useful when it is pessimistic. These counts are what survived the last distribution, not what the original founder's list claimed.

Caslon Old Face

The workhorse. The 12 pt is complete enough to set a full page of prose without borrowing; the 8 pt has lost most of its lowercase e and is now footnote-only. The 24 pt exists in display quantities and is reserved for titling, which is a polite way of saying there are eleven capitals and no w.

Bembo

Bought as a set, arrived as three-quarters of one. Sets narrower than Caslon at the same body size, which makes it the better choice for anything with a fixed measure and long words. The 18 pt italic is the nicest thing in the shop and gets used far too rarely.

Grotesque

Incomplete and mismatched — two different foundries, one of them a hair off standard height, which shows up as a pale line on the proof and nowhere else until it is too late. Kept because nothing else in the shop will hold a heavy rule.

Ornaments and rule

One drawer, unidentified, probably continental, probably 1920s. Brass rule in 1, 2, 4 and 6 pt, most of it slightly bowed. The 6 pt is straight and therefore hoarded.

Standing conditions

Type is distributed within a week of printing. Standing formes are the enemy of a small shop: they lock up the sorts you will need for the next job, and the next job is always the one that needs them.