Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Online Auctions, eBay Craigslist Petroliana replica US 66 signs?

hello everyone,

I'm new to this board, and am hoping that people into old petroliana stuff would have a crossover interest in old highway markers. I have a NEW MEXICO/US/66 embossed cutout sign listed on eBay right now - a replica of the 1930s style, steel with glass reflectors.

To the best of my knowledge, this is the first sign since the mid-50s or so to be stamped out with the *correct* fonts... there is a slew of Route 66 markers out there made from the wrong embossing dies (fonts far too narrow!) that have been circulating since 1993 or so, but mine has the the classic wide number 6es as seen back in the day.

I had those dies milled in a machine shop, and then a highway marker company that happens to own a 1939 embossing sign press made a small quantity of those signs using those dies.

Please see here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=270363231337 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=270363231337

I will be making other highway markers, Route 66 and other numbers (US 30 Lincoln Highway, US 61 home of the Blues, US 80 Ocean to Ocean, US 99 Main Street, and other famous numbers... US 101 Coast Highway, US 6 Grand Army of the Republic ... maybe US 40 Victory Highway or even US 27 Dixie Highway), in the next few months, all with completely correct fonts of course. If anyone is interested, I'd love to hear from you ... I can be found at artistjake@gmail.com .

Thank you for your interest!

Jake
San Diego, CA

ps. see you at the Tucson AZ ALPCA show this Saturday!

Are they dated and marked as Reproductions

Just what we don't need. More unmarked repros.

Ditto what the above posters said...MARK OR DATE THE THING AS A REPRODUCTION!!

Jake--I went to your ebay sale and took a look at your sign and there is nothing on the sign to indicate that it is a reproduction! By not dating or marking these signs, you have become a part of the problem instead of the solution! What will happen several years from now when one of your signs is weathered and scratched up a bit and some person sells it as an original to another unsuspecting soul for a large quantity of cash? Someone will have been robbed of their hard earned cash by an unscrupulous seller. I call it fraud or robbery and all because you didn't feel it necessary to date your reproductions.
Your signs will sell just as well with a date on them as without but someone is already looking at how to fast age them and turn over the big bucks. I urge you to mark these reproductions for the future of all collectors everywhere! Thank you---KEVIN

Mark it in a way that can not be easily altered [size].

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hello Mick,

thank you for your interest. I can definitely make an Illinois. What
number are you thinking of?

I mark them "REPLICA" on the back in the groove caused by the embossed
crossbar on the other side (harder to belt-sand out).

Jake reply to my email from jake. guys are getting a little jumpy.

hello everyone,

yes, to answer everyone's concerns - I do mark them as REPLICA - especially important for route 66 markers.



sorry about the slightly blurry image - indoor light on an overcast day. Rain, rain, go away!

Jake

Looks as if it is only hand marked with a paint pen. How hard would that be to remove? The one pictured in your Ebay ad doesnt even show that...Just wait till the "aged and distressed" artist [shysters] get their hands on this...I am just not a fan of all this repro CRAP, or as they call it on Barrett-Jackson, "recreations"...No matter what you call them they are just FAKES, and will wind up being passed off as "original"

I engraved it in down to the metal with a power drill. Definitely not a paint marker - my handwriting is neater than that!

I did take the eBay photos before putting in the marking - all of the 66es and other signs are so marked.

As the engraving is difficult to see in a photo, I am happy to show everyone these signs in person. See you at the Tucson AZ plate show this Saturday, and future license plate, gas/oil, and other automobilia shows in CA, NV, AZ, and maybe even further away from my home of San Diego.

Thanks for marking them as such. I own about 8 original shields and would not want the value of them to deminish.

I completely understand regarding your investment ... those originals can sell for many thousands of dollars (even in this lousy economy!) so I am hoping to fill a market need by selling my replicas at a fraction of the price.

I just sold a New Mexico US 66, and have relisted the auction, as I have four more left (I ran off 10 originally):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270368367785

as you can see, I included two photos with the REPLICA status clearly marked - I hope this measure decreases the opportunity for fraud by third-party tricksters!

the reason I do not use the word "replica" in the verbal description is because eBay has cancelled my auction before, and that's just not good for either buyers or sellers! I am hoping eBay is not talented enough to be looking through pictures with my sloppy power-drill handwriting!

Jake

jake as per your email,i believe you are open to ideas as to different ways of marking these so they cannot be mistaken as original?any ideas guys?

I sure am ... I want to make it as difficult as possible for someone to bury the signs and wash them in acid and corrode them and leave them 'beaten and weathered' or whatnot... (shysters!) and then resell them as the real thing 20 years down the line.

It's a compromise between making my signs look as good as possible, but at the same time not too good that a fraudulent reseller could take advantage of them ... so I mark them on the back, while they should be hopefully perfect for those who mount them front-up in their yards for other people to see.

Jake, it is good that you are marking the signs. That being said, from what I can see, it would take a person about 1-3 minutes to wipeout your engraving with a "Dremil" tool and spray the area with a "rattlecan" paint job. They then have, with a small amount of time, materials and some rough treatment, an orginial sign. A sign that "Grand dad had up in his attic for the last 30 some years", selling on ebay. Not in 20 years, but a couple of months "down the pike". This batch is made and being sold as replicas. Not sure how much more money to have a "pressing" in the back saying "replica" or having a screen printing on the sign on the front in small lettering reading same, on the next batch. Or even if you would want to spend that kind of money, to ensure it harder for someone to turn your sign into an original. We all here have seen "Ande Rooney" signs sold on ebay, as the "real deal". All they did was remove the sticker from the back, some not even removing the glue left from the sticker. Rooney's signs are not even the correct size as the originals nor even exact replicas. But they are sold as originals everyday on ebay and other sites. I would hope you will consider making it harder to change your signs in the future.