Could These Have Been Used On Covers

Not sure what these are even called but I've had them for years and just now rediscovered them hidden away. I have a bunch more and some seem older then others.
First picture is as they appear looking at them, the second picture was flipped horizontally and the last one is my favourite.
Is there any possibility these were used for envelopes or cachet's on covers?

Cheers, Bill

Look like printing dies and handstamps. Probably not used so much on covers, but on invoices, ledgers and bills. Also some possible personal handstamps.

metal mounted on wood ... very typical of print blocks from a commercial print shop. Unlikely to have any philatelic connection.

John is correct..These are print blocks.
This is right up my alley..Was a printer for 5 years, till I got a job...HAHA


The middle long item is called a slug created by a linotype machine shown below....The slugs were .918 inches high.



They were placed as individual letters which took a long time as shown below...



Now the big blocks {same height} were used for posters, lager sheets, flyers, newspapers,etc. as shown below....






Brings back memories...Wish I had these blocks..
Robert

And the source of the commonly used phases "upper case" and "lower case" to stand for capitalized and un-capitalized letters. As you might expect, the capital letters were typically kept in the upper cases of the shop and the non-capitalized letter in the lower cases.
Don

Correct Don
They were kept in one case drawer for quick access...See printers case below.

Robert



Forgot, there were also split cases as shown below for quick access.



Just for interest...Here is the {single letter} pica I was talking about.

The "Register of electors" looks like it is also metal mounted on wood, rather than a linotype slug.

However, on that tangent, here is a FDC cachet created/printed by the late David Churchman with a brass matrix and a linotype slug mounted on a card and peeking out through the window in the cover.

Nice cover
The invention from United States print world is the Linotype machine, developed in 1884 by a German watchmaker named Ottmar Mergenthaler.

Thinking the actual slug design was 2 years latter.
The older Linotype machine below...The inventor and his machine.

Robert

P.S. -Hounddog Bill..Box them up and mail them to me...hahaha

'
My first Real Job (the one that came with a printed paycheck) was as a messenger, delivering hot type, color separations, and other such goodies for a typography firm in NYC in 1970.

If I walked very fast, I could justify pocketing the 20c (Wiki says 30c) bus/subway fare, doing wonders for my U$D 1.60 per hour minimum wage.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

Great to have this info, appreciation to all who helped. Even if without philatelic connection they're still cool.
Here are a few more and you will notice one is quite different then the rest.
They're all on blocks of wood and the same height.
I did try a few with an ink pad with limited success.
Any idea as to the age?
If a moderator wishes to change the title to a more appropriate one feel free.
Edited to Add photo with measurement.

Cheers, Bill

Don

Here are four printing blocks which are philatelic. Used on pages 67-68 of the May 1970 Chronicle of the US Classics Society.