1885 printing press what could it be worth?

[jer2eydevil88]

I am renting a rather old house and there is this old printing press in the basement. I have permission from the landlord to do whatever I want with it but I want to know if its worth selling or what?

I found some restored press models online going for nearly 20k and I think this one is still functional (at least it moves and stuff if you pull the bar).

Thought I might throw this up on here and share some pictures to get some intelligent feedback on the situation.

Here is a site (made with iWeb) with a bunch of pictures and a link to all the originals. If anyone has any comment or can provide me some information about this type of press just respond here.

http://www.nosent.net/printingpress/

 

[alxths]

I don't have an answer to your question but that is really cool. Renting/buying an old house and finding some neat antiques in it has always been a minor dream of mine.

 

[superbovine]

i'd make sure it isn't a fake.

 

[CanadaRAM]

i'd make sure it isn't a fake.

Seriously, it will make a huge difference whether all the parts are there, and its functioning. Also whether the parts are genuine or have been replaced over the years. Presumably, the brand and model will also affect its rarity and desirability. It's not like there weren't 10,000s of these presses made; they were the iMac of 1880 technology -- portable (kind of) publishing technology. Every town had one or more printer with some of these. Best to find some antique letterpress forums and do some real research before making any moves.

Or, learn how to use it and make your own christmas cards. How cool would that be!