Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Online Auctions, eBay Craigslist Petroliana 12" Red Crown repro being sold as original

eBay # 230586620732

I emailed the seller....This is a $20.00 reproduction sign. It's not from the 30'S.
http://www.vics66.com/signs/porcelain-signs/m.products/161/view/440-red-crown

His response....Thanks for the note. I will look into it this afternoon and if you are correct will end the auction early. However, a few questions. I assume that a app. 12" diameter sign was made? If so what method have you used to determine this excample is not authentic, it sure looks good from here. Based on the example shown at the link below I suppose they must have made them? Thanks again, Jon Granda America's Pride


My response....Thanks for responding. Red Crown (Standard Oil of California) used 10" & 14" side mount double sided porcelain signs from 1915-1930 . They were used on visible gas pumps. After that they used 10" water slide decals until the mid 1940's when the name was changed to Chevron. The sign you are selling is actually classified as a fantasy sign. They were only produced as decorator signs. Some have been around for 30-40 years now and they're starting to show age but, they're really not old. They should have been dated as they are confusing the sign collecting hobby.
Hope this helps.


Hopefully he will end the auction before somebody gets burned.

Sold for $182.50 !

I hope nobody on here bought it.

Their's a sucker born everyday.....

Perhaps the "sucker" has you call them can't read either, or perhapsthey could care less about your theory. The seller posted the following additinal information with his auction:

"On Feb-17-11 at 12:46:56 PST, seller added the following information:

HI FOLKS. I HAVE BEEN TOLD AN eBay MEMBER THAT THIS SIGN IS NOT BE FROM THE 1940's AS WE HAVE DESCRIBED. THE USER TELLS ME THAT THE SIGN IS LIKELY ABOUT 30 TO 40 YEARS OLD AND WAS NOT MADE FOR USE BY THE RED CROWN GAS CO. PLEASE NOTE, WE HAVE ONLY HEARD THIS FROM ONE USER. IN A QUICK SEARCH OF THE NET I HAVE FOUND AT LEAST ONE OTHER ROUND SIGN OF THIS SIZE SIZE THAT APPEARS TO BE GENUINE. THEREFORE, I AM GOING TO LET THE AUCTION RUN TIL IT'S END. SHOULD THIS INFORMATION MAKE YOU WISH TO RETRACT YOUR BID, PLEASE DO SO WITH OUR UNDERSTANDING. A LINK TO IMAGES OF THE OTHER SIGN WILL BE INCLUDED HERE. THANKS, JON GRANDA AMERICA'S PRIDE http://www.icollect247.com/itempage.php?uniqueid=29194"

Now, is it a bad seller, or did he get a bidder that just wanted the sign. I say the seller when out on a limb and posted less than favorable comments about his item from an unknown self perclaimed expert. The fact that you do not like the item does not make the new owner a sucker. Be a little more professional, not everyone understands your gifted talent.

Those are really the signs that we need dates and marked repro or fantasy on. About a month ago I emailed a seller on ebay that had one of those signs on that it was a fantasy sign. He was advertising as original. He emailed me back and thanked me and pulled the sign off. A week later he put it back on with the same advertising and sold it for $75. When I first start collecting Frontier I was told By Clyde Hodge that they had only made large signs. No large ones especially 12 inch. Dick you were the first to tell me on this site that Standard only had decals and no 12 inch signs until later and they were rectangler. So thank you and keep up the good work. Some of your comments are kind of caustic though but I'll take them tongue in cheek. Mitch

When I first started collecting, I bought this same "aged" sign from someone at Iowa Gas who said it was old...Of course I was happy to pay 100 for it, what did I know. LOL

I kept it to remind me of that experience. I don't condone the fraud, but everybody should have one...made me a more cautious buyer which is good.

Were not the older makes of this sign heavy steel with thick shelving made by Andy Rooney? I would like to know about when they first appeared...can anyone provide a date?

Kim