What typeface is this?

Have you tried Identifont’s identify by appearance tool? I found that works pretty well.

@ben – Yep, the tricky part is I only have 4 characters to go by. That “R” is pretty distinct though, with those squat little legs.

Usually I try Identifont, or, If I have a big picture, WhatTheFont. Neither of those work, though, so I’d suggest posting in the WhatTheFont forums.

Look at the Hoefler foundry’s catalog – they have preserved many vintage typefaces.

If Typophile boards can’t determine it, maybe you are on to something. I went through my fave vintage sanserifs and can’t find a real match either. It’s that “squatty” uppercase R that seems to be the thing that defines your font and I can’t seem to match it either. If you do design it, let us know! Would love to know.

one of these maybe:

WhoopAss, Franklin Gothic Heavy, Garaje 53 Unicase