Manufacturer: Richard Hicks, Cedar Crest, New Mexico, USA

Y.O.M: 1979

Serial No.: 7

Size:

Acquired: 2019

Description:
Built by Richard Hicks (1922-2012), the Bobcat printing press was made in the style of a 17th-century army field press. With the chest of type as the base, it was easy to move from place to place by wagon. It was beautifully constructed using Honduran mahogany and built in an old-fashioned way. Mr. Hicks hand-cast the bronze hardware and decorative features himself. He made about 30 presses in total, which are now held in private collections and various museums, including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.

This Bobcat was Mr. Hicks' personal press until it was sold to Gem Press in the late 1990s.

Born in Plainfield, NJ, in 1922, Mr. Hicks joined the Marine Corps, fought in WW2, and was wounded in Iwo Jima. Mr. Hicks and his family moved to New Mexico in 1952, Mr. Hicks was an accomplished multi-genre talented artisan, and was recognized as a maker of Kentucky flintlock rifles, western sculpture, candles, and of course, wooden printing presses.