Title: Baum Safes 1922 Catalog, Pre-Publication Proof Copy, J. Baum Safe & Lock Company, Fireproof Safe Models, Trade Catalog Reprint

Author, Creator: J. Baum Safe & Lock Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, manufacturers of fireproof safes, vaults, and security cabinets

Publisher: Portable Trunk Publishers, undated modern facsimile proof copy, circa 2002. Pre-publication mock-up / proof version of the published replica catalog reproduced from the original 1922 trade sample advertisement.

Condition: Very Good, like new, with minimal bookshop wear. These are pre-publication proof / mock-up copies and do not have the finished published covers. Each copy is complete and contains the same catalog information as the finished published version, but the proof copies have slight production differences, including normal color variation, print variation, and proof-stage appearance.

Three proof copies are available and each is sold separately. The copies are virtually the same, but not absolutely identical. Buyer will receive one of the available pre-publication proof copies, selected from stock. Copies are not individually selectable.

As is true with many reprinted trade catalogs, some smaller text, fine product details, or original printing may be a little hard to read in places due to the age, paper quality, small type size, or condition of the source copy. Some images may appear faint, cloudy, or uneven because of the original catalog from which the reproduction was made. Please see photos.

Description: This is a pre-publication proof / mock-up copy of the modern reprint of Baum Safes: Perfect Protection Because They Are Fireproof, Indestructible, originally issued by the J. Baum Safe & Lock Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1922. The catalog was created to promote fireproof safes, security cabinets, and related safe models to department stores, retail establishments, locksmiths, wholesale buyers, and jobbers.

The catalog contains 22 pages and is illustrated with model renderings of early 20th-century safe cabinets and security products. It is a useful reference for collectors, designers, restorers, antiques dealers, locksmithing historians, industrial historians, and anyone interested in antique safes, fireproof storage, office equipment, bank and business security, and American trade catalogs.

This proof copy is especially interesting because it represents the pre-publication stage of the replica catalog before the finished cover version was produced. It contains the same useful historical content as the published reprint, but with the distinctive character of a working proof, including slight production variations that show part of the printing and publishing process.

About the company: Warth-Baum Safe & Lock Company began in Cincinnati, Ohio around 1870, later reorganized as Baum Safe Company in 1893, and again as J. Baum Safe & Lock Company in 1916. J. Baum purchased Warth’s interests in the company in 1903. The firm followed the earlier Warth Safe & Vault Company, active from the 1850s into the 1870s.

Why You'll Love It: This is a useful and unusual reference copy for anyone interested in antique safes, historic locksmithing, early fireproof cabinets, office security equipment, and American manufacturing history. The illustrated trade catalog format gives a direct look at how safe models were presented and marketed to commercial buyers in the early 1920s.

Collectors may also appreciate that these are pre-publication proof copies rather than the standard finished reprint. They are not original 1922 catalogs, but they are interesting modern publishing artifacts connected to the making of a facsimile trade catalog. A good discounted reference copy for research, identification, restoration work, or collecting.

Key Topics & Genre: Baum Safes, J. Baum Safe & Lock Company, Cincinnati Ohio, 1922 safe catalog, fireproof safes, antique safe reference, safe cabinet catalog, security cabinet, vault equipment, locksmith reference, trade catalog reprint, pre-publication proof, mock-up copy, Portable Trunk Publishers, American manufacturing history, early 20th century business equipment, office safes, bank security, fireproof storage, antique office equipment, industrial trade literature, wholesale catalog, jobber catalog, department store trade, safe restoration reference, antiques dealer guide, illustrated model renderings, facsimile catalog, publishing proof copy, modern replica catalog

Note:  -- PROOF copies before it became the published verion, it is in very nice/good condition, firmly readable and engaging. 

-- Defects:   General bookshop wear, mentioned above, see pictures of actual book (we have two copies in similar condition.
                    One copy has a chip on spine.