Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Old VARSITY neon sign - value?

I have this neon Varsity sign. It measures 30" wide by 18". All the tubing is intact but I don't know if the gas is still there as I don't have a ballast. Anyone know what its worth? Any offers?

I'm in Lancaster, PA and would not dare try to ship this so it's either pick-up or for enough cash I'll deliver within a few hours' drive.



Click thumbnail to go to larger image.

I collect stuff from the Varsity company and love the sign. But I'm in St. Louis, MO, not exactly a short drive to Lancaster, PA. Wish we could work something out.

You can take the sign to a neon sign shop and they can test it in one minute with a tool that lights up the neon through induction without hooking up any wires. The shop near me does the test for free while you wait. Take your camera with you and snap a picture while they light the sign for a few seconds.

------------------
Jim "Oldgas" Potts
Your host and moderator

Neon shop.... duh, never thought of that. I'll do that this week and post the results.

Has anyone seen one of these anywhere else? I'd still like to know what it's value is.

Jim,
If you buy the sign it will give you an excuse to go to the Carlisle/Hershey swap meets in the fall.
Jack Sim

The guy at the neon shop was amazed, as was I. After a quick test he insisted on hooking it to a transformer to see it fully lit. WOW. He also said it was "the work of a master" and added that the colors used can't be duplicated any longer.



Any ideas on value now?

It is worth whatever someone will pay.

Hard to put a value on this one if the name is not nationally known or sought after. It is very nice, but how desireable?


That being said, if Jim makes a Deal with you I hope for the following;

That someone that reads OLDGAS, helps out and does their utmost to get the sign to Jim , intact.. he deserves it!

I will even chip in to help him buy it..dodogas

I'm with you dodo.... I would really like to see Jim get it as well..... there is nobody as deserving as he is..... count me in for adding $$ to the get the sign for Jim campaign.....
bob

That is a sweet sign...We could relay team that puppy all the way to MO slicker than grease on pumpshaft. I'd get it from Steve and deliver to Columbus, OH. Oldgas roadtrip!

Hi, Varsity was a exclusive product line of my favorites Manny, Moe and jack The Pep Boys and was sold in all their stores. Awesome sign great find.
Erik

Pep Boys it is! This photo is from the 1930's and shows the Varsity brand just as it is on the sign. The thumbnail leads to a nice big version.



I still don't know what to ask for it, but it's clear that you've all decided that Jim's gonna be the buyer I know signs of this age and quality are very rare, but the dealers I've looked at aren't consistent with prices, ranging from $1000 up to over $5000. It looks so arbitrary!

Any "experts" out there please put your two cents in. All I can tell you is it's 1930's-40's, it works, colors are rare, and it's made from only two tubes. "Varsity" is one tube and "guaranteed auto products" is all one tube. The neon guys who tested it said that signs this complex and old are super tough to find intact.

I will chip in for the Jim neon sign fund for sure...He really should own this...he deserves it

------------------
Hubba: GAS GEEK , OIL FREAK and humble moderator

This sign looks nice for sure. My .02 here, if the neon was attached to a porcelain sign with the same script I could see asking $1k plus for the sign but without I would pay less then 1k. Sure it is cool and and the glass was made with workmanship that is not available today but does that make it worth 5k? In following the auctions I do not see many neon's without a sign going sky high. Keep us posted on your outcome.


Scott

Lets not get carried away guys. I like the sign. But I think Scootdog has it right. Since the sign is tubing only with no graphics or porcelain sign, it isn't worth those big bucks in my opinion.
The Ditzler neon sign I got last year on eBay has die-cut porcelain lettering and a neon backlit reverse paint sign attached. I got it for $580.
But I do like that sign...

------------------
Jim "Oldgas" Potts
Your host and moderator

As I understand it the sign was meant to hang in a window, and hence was back-less to allow viewing from inside as well. This looks very cool, but also makes breaking it 1000 times easier and makes this one's survival all the more amazing. In any case I can't find another neon Varsity sign of ANY kind out there. Jim must have them all It's a possibility that this is the only one, or at least one of a very few.

I could probably do more research and find a venue where I could make some really nice money off of this, but you guys all wanting Jim to have it so bad that you'll chip in and Jim himself on the verge of dehyrating from drooling too much is all killing me.

I'll take $1,000 even for it. Professional crating and shipping is another $200. If you guys honestly want to pass it down the road like an Olympic torch I think that's very cool and will want to see photos.

Oh, and Jim has to promise never to sell the sign.

Put the sign on ebay to determine that value if you are really interested in selling it. My guess is that you will get 4-600. Another avenue would be to contact Aumann Auctions or another auction house to consign it. You will have to find the 'right' guy to pay 1k for it but I hope you do!

Scott