Name/Title
Leroy lettering set N3245 manufactured by Keuffel & Esser Co., ca. 1941-1950.Entry/Object ID
2009.006.0063Description
Leroy lettering boxed set N3245 manufactured by Keuffel & Esser Co., circa 1941-1950. Mahogany wood wood with hinged top, 16-1/4" wide x 3-3/4" deep x 1-3/4" high; fitted wood interior; printed paper label with instructions and illustration inside lid, metal K & E plate on front: the latest branch listed was the Detroit branch established in 1936; Los Angeles established in 1939 but does not appear on this plate. (This means that the set or only the case was made ca. 1936-1939, but given that the scriber present is ca. 1939-1941, it is a typical of K&E stock and sales patterns that make it difficult to date more precisely.) Contents: described below.
(Note: this item was accompanied by 8 additional Leroy Lettering Pens in their original containers. They are catalogued as a separate group: 2009.006.0064.)
No stock number for set indicated on case, but it corresponds generally to N3245-12 or 12L which was a set consisting of:
nine templates
ten pens (nine present here; including cleaning pins)
lead holder
adjustable scriber
pen holder
socket holder
The templates were used for inked lettering on architectural & engineering drawings or maps. Two are 15" (14-17/8"); 2 @ 12" (11-7/8") long; 3 @ 9-1/2" long. Templates have company name: K+E Leroy and the product number. The sizes present here are the ones on the label, but the label does not state whether they were 'C' (capital) or 'CL' (capital and lowercase.) The company issued sets that were either all 'C' or 'CL' , but the mixed contents here indicates that the customer either customized the set or some were later replacements.)
Templates present:
3240-100C
3240-120C
3240-140CL
3240-175CL
3240-200CL
3240-240CL
3240-350C
3240-500C
Scriber does not have a product number, but does correspond to N3237-2, Adustable Scriber, as called for in the boxed set. Note that it is not the same style as the the one depicted on the lid label. The one present here is believed to have not been issued about 1940-1941. Although the latest patent number on the item is from 1936, a design patent for the molded plastic knob was issued in 1941 and was on later scribers. This style knob first appears in the 39th edition of 1943. The round spherical knob is turned metal with original finish mostly gone.
Case dimensions match the description in the 38th edition catalog for this set.
Keuffel & Esser Co. was located in Hoboken during this period and the item is considered as having been manufactured here.Acquisition
Accession
2009.006Source or Donor
Lukacs, ClaireAcquisition Method
GiftCredit Line
Museum Collections. Gift of a friend of the Museum.Made/Created
Date made
1941 - 1950Notes
Date: 1941-1950General Notes
Note
Notes: Patent number 1,528,142 - March 1925
Patent number 2,011,195 - 1936
Status: OK
Status By: dw
Status Date: 2009-05-27
