Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion 48" Porcelain Shell Sign Value?

I ran across a guy who has a 48" single sided porcelain shell sign. He says it's from 1941. He said it's in pretty good condition, but it's dirty from sitting outside. He thinks it will clean up good, but he hasn't tried.

Any idea of what this sign is worth?

Sorry for the bad pic.
Thanks.
Mac

I see NO picture? LOL
Value depends on condition and which version clam shell he has...

OK Now I see it....LOL
I believe those had neon around them sometimes!
Looks like it will clean up alot!
I'd say for sure 700-1400 roughly...as long as theres no missing metal or touch ups/restoration!
Cool Sign!
If you go to aumann or matthews auction results you'll see several in various price ranges...
Good Luck with it!!!

Thanks Tom. Really appreciate it. Any advice on what to use to clean it up? Soap and water and then....?

Thank you.
Mac

Yes...Looks like just dirt...I bet it cleans up awesome!
I love the Embossed porcelain...make the letters JUMP out at ya.
Once clean I use The Wax Shop Super Glaze (w/natural carnauba)
Hope to see it in buys of the week!!!
Those are sometimes 2 sided also...The single sided ones had a special hangin bracket...

Thanks Tom. The guy said it is a single sided sign, but he said there were mounting holes on the sign? Thanks for the advice on cleaning. I'll give that a try and will post in the BOTW with a before and after shot of the clean up.

Mac

Use barkeeper's friend and 0000 (super fine) steel wool to clean. Wet the surface, sprinkle on, lightly work into a paste and let sit for 10 minutes. Come back and rub with the 0000 steel wool. Most grime and rust stains come right off. Bad water staining can sometimes be harder or even permanent. Give it a good look over before you commit to price. If that black stuff doesn't come off it'll definitely hurt the value.

Thanks Chris for the tip. I'll have to try that.

Mac

Quick question on the 0000 steel wool.... I found a really old box full of steel wool from Sears. It doesn't say 0000 on it. It seems pretty soft. Says "grade 2" on it. Says you can use it to clean screens, tile, steel, aluminum, etc. Does it sound like that's what I have?

Okay. Got the sign. The dark spots are just dirt and grease. Haven't even tried to clean it yet, but it's in remarkable shape. Definitely will be one of my Buys Of The Year. Here's a pic of the front and back. It is dated at the bottom 11-41.

Super excited!!

Mac

Forgot to mention...kind of funny. The kid I bought it from and his Dad delivered it in their pickup today. They said that they called and emailed the American Pickers and they didn't call them back. The kid said he found it while cleaning out an old barn.

I told him to call me whenever he turns up this kind of stuff. He was excited to sell and I was excited to buy it.

Thanks
Mac

Very nice sign! I just got one like it with the neon ring around it last week. Would love to find a match to it so that I can display it as it was meant to be!

thats gonna be a keeper for sure

Okay. A friend of mine brought over his pressure washer and some car soap and we worked on cleaning it up. Got most of the dirt off, but had to go to using the Barkeepers Friend (Thanks Chris!) and it cleaned up fabulously! Haven't used any wax yet. It looks even better in person. Here's an after shot. Can't believe it's the same sign as the first horrible pic I sent.

Thanks again to all.

Mac

MAN, THAT SIGN HAS BSN COLORS...GREAT SCORE...DEF BOTY STUFF! CONGRATS FROM THIS JEALOUS SIGN COLLECTOR...LOL!