Gutenberg’s invention of moveable type paved the way for these beauties, which saw use well into the 20th century. Printers stocked hundreds of print blocks in a myriad of fonts and point sizes. Alphabet letters, punctuation and spacers were arranged in special drawers, which were stored in large cabinets for easy access.

Buyers today pore over trays and boxes of these irresistible little gems, which can be found for around $2-12 a piece, depending on the size and fanciness of the font. Carved primarily of hardwood, a little buffing reveals beautiful woodgrain and colorful ink-stained faces.

Perhaps because of their similarity to that most basic of childhood playthings, alphabet blocks, printer’s blocks seem to be universally appealing to adults and kids. Most often they are used to spell out names or initials of family members or issue a holiday greeting such as J-O-Y, N-O-E-L or L-O-V-E. Creative types incorporate them into mixed media art.

Be prepared to dig for just the right letters. Mixing and matching blocks in varying heights, widths, fonts and colors produces the best effect for display. Since the blocks were pressed onto paper, many appear to read backwards, but the eye naturally identifies your spelled-out sculptures with ease, as in the illustration of the word ANTIQUES above.