I ran across these in the back room of a museum, and very excitedly spelled out my name. Once I got home, I realized it's very similar to Bebas, which is too new, and Trade Gothic and Alternate Gothic, both of which have the wrong R. Any guesses, bearing in mind these letters date back to an age when newspapers were typeset by hand?

That's Trajan! It's big among movie posters and companies that take themselves very seriously.