J.P. Lejeune ALBION Iron Press - Brussels, Belgium
Age: ca 1840, Serial No. 177, Bed size 590 x 800 mm
The Englishman, Richard Cope, first designed and built his “Albion” in 1820. This was a very successful design and eventually made its way to the European continent. Variants of the Albion were made in France, Germany and with our example, Belgium.
The Albion was a very favored machine and direct competitor to American George Clymer’s Columbian. The Belgians added a personal touch by discarding the more expensive “return spring” in favor of a counterweight lever bearing the Belgian Lion.