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Can anybody help me identify the fonts used here?

The sign is WWII, circa 1943 if that helps. I've been digging around for hours and I can't seem to get it.

Tried matching heavy on what the font - nothing is really close.

90th Bomb Group

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    More than likely this is the work of a sign painter, who would have painted these letters by hand. There may or may not be an actual digital font based on these.
    – DA01
    Aug 23, 2013 at 4:02
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    I agree with DA01, this was hand painted. Analyze the three 'B' letters in the bottom two lines, all three are slightly different. Aug 29, 2013 at 18:21

2 Answers 2

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So, I didn't found the exact same font, but I think this is the most similar-looking fonts you can get:

For the upper part I would also go with Bell

and for the lower part: Legothic URW Light enter image description here

I would post an images, but I signed on a few days ago, so I'm not allowed to..

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  • Have +1 for a good answer! Now you can load the image :-) Aug 23, 2013 at 8:31
  • Wow that Legothic URW is a good find - very good match, even the lowercase "e". Only slight differences like the "R" tail and the "W" middle stroke. Aug 26, 2013 at 2:33
  • Yeah, and also the dot on the lowercase "i".. But as I said: It's as nearest as you can get..
    – TheWirv
    Aug 27, 2013 at 8:25
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I believe this will be hand-lettering, meaning that it doesn't use a font and may not even be based on any particular typeface. In this case, I don't believe it's based on any particular typeface but instead borrows from many.

The top one bears a resemblance to Bell

But then, it's about as similar to Bell as it is to Times.

I don't think the bottom one looks like anything in particular. It's quite different, but Linotype Spitz may evoke a similar feeling.

Edit: Marcel Lasaj's suggestion of Legothic URW for the bottom font is even better.

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    Hey thanks for the recommendations! We were hoping that the sign painter used an “at-one-time commonplace stencil” that somebody might recognize.
    – TuK
    Aug 23, 2013 at 4:40
  • Hey, Marcel Lasaj's suggestion of Legothic URW for the bottom font is even better than mine. Aug 30, 2013 at 0:36
  • Unfortunately it is unlikely to have been based on a stencil. Skilled sign-writers prided themselves on their hand-lettering ability. Aug 30, 2013 at 0:38

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