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I saw this site a while back and talked to a buddy of mine about it. Vinyl over metal signs and custom work to order.
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It states on the website;
"Unlike inferior reproductions which use spray-painted artwork and thin aluminum face panels, we avoided cutting corners in favor of faithfully recreating the same porcelain enameling processes used on original signs. The vibrant artwork is not paint at all, but rather finely ground glass crystals which, when kiln fired at 1350 degrees fuse to heavy-gauge steel panels. Porcelains brilliant colors, durable finish and incredible resistance to weather & fading made it the standard for outdoor advertising.
A dying art form today, this process is considerably more labor and cost intensive, as the artwork is hand-applied by the artist and fired separately, one color at a time. The end result however, is historically accurate, and in many cases, indistinguishable, from originals."
Dave GILL, Dave's Garage & Memorabilia, Inc.
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I am in the minority here...but I see no issues with GOOD repro items as long as they are easy to ID as repro. Awesome to see good stuff being made. I mostly fail to see the purpose in this case however since his 66 sign probably costs more than if you find a mint face and have neon restored..but for rare ones I am sure its smaller investment than originals.
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Looking closer, I have jumped the gun. This is not the site that he and I were discussing. My apologies. If the repros are well marked, no harm. What I do have a problem with is the addition of company logos like WALKER AND CO. being added to a reproduction sign. This is already a problem and I have seen the results first hand by a buyer seeing that logo and mistaking for real thing. The company name has no business being there period.
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You know what these "ultra high quality signs" have in common with cheapy tinny 5oz ebay repop's they're both GENUINE JUNK!!! PERIOD. I hope they will be marked by this company "vault".
Last edited by luminor89; Tue Jul 15 2014 12:24 PM.
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I just wrote them this. I blew a little smoke up their butt in hopes that it would help them to be understanding. Who the hell knows. I'll let you know if I hear anything.
Hello, I recently was pointed to your site by some friends. I want to first say that the quality of the pieces on your site look to be just amazing!! And your product line looks to be top of the line across the board. But my reason for writing has nothing to do with the quality. That looks to speak for itself. I am writing to inquire as to whether or not your signs are marked or dated in any way as reproductions? There is a small group of collectors, I included, that like to do all we can to preserve the integrity of the actual original pieces by combating unmarked reproductions. It may seem a little thing now, but 50-75 years from now, it may not be so easy for a collector or historian to tell the authenticity of one of your pieces from an original. If your pieces are currently not marked and dated as reproductions, the collecting and history community would greatly appreciate it if you would find a way to work this practice into your process in the future.
Of course you could tell me to take a hike, or just ignore this writing. But I would hope, based on what seems to be a respect for the pieces yourself, that you would respectfully consider this letters request. If your pieces are currently marked and dated as reproductions, then, on behalf of the future collector, I thank you dearly for respecting the true history of these pieces!!
Thank you for your time!!
Steve Coppens Always interested in Sunoco items! Really want a Sunoco National pump ad glass!!
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Wes.......
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The owner of the company called me. I spoke for quite a while on the phone with him. Very very nice guy and very respectful of the hobby!! He seemed quite knowledgeable of the hobby such that some of you may even know him. I learned some very interesting information on the manuf. process of the signs. In short, all of his stuff is marked on the back with the company name and some are marked on the front. He was very interested in the opinion of the collectors. I really wish one of you more experienced guys to talk to him. He is very interested in feedback but we were really talking above my pay grade.
Last edited by Steve C.; Tue Jul 15 2014 02:47 PM.
Steve Coppens Always interested in Sunoco items! Really want a Sunoco National pump ad glass!!
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Vault Garage is a member here- Chad Haas. Been a member since 2003.
A little harsh to call his stuff "Genuine Junk".
Sell me your Gilmore Oil Co. stuff...
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I am sure the Barrett-Jackson crowd will go for these as they go NUTS over CLONES or "recreations". But for me, if I can not have the real thing, I just would not feel much pride in a fake.
R D
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This particular post caught my attention because it is associated with my company and asks buyers to be aware.
I am very passionate about preserving this wonderful form of American advertising and have poured a great deal of time and effort into creating a product that is as beautiful as it is authentic. My goal from the beginning has been to offer the most accurate and the highest quality signs possible, which is why I have painstakingly spent nearly a full decade researching, testing and perfecting our craft to faithfully replicate this wonderful art form. VAULT has accomplished a very high level of quality by using many of the same processes and materials that were used originally by manufacturers [the only visible difference is that we permanently mark each sign with our company trademark]. The process by which we make all of our products at VAULT is uncompromising because I believe each item is a representation of who we are as a company.
My company is always striving to be the best at what we do and nothing is more important to me than our client's satisfaction; which is why we never stop trying to achieve perfection in every product that we offer. Nothing brings me greater satisfaction than a satisfied customer. It is why my company exists.
That is why I welcome anyone to call me. I'd like to hear directly from you about any concerns that the collecting community may have regarding our signs. You will find that I am completely transparent about my company and our products and will gladly accept feedback.
What matters most to me is enhancing the customer experience and I know that I could learn a lot from members of this hobby to help us accomplish that through you sharing your feedback.
Thank you,
Chad Haas
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You know what these "ultra high quality signs" have in common with cheapy tinny 5oz ebay repop's they're both GENUINE JUNK!!! PERIOD. I hope they will be marked by this company "vault". Typical Newbie The company should get rid of any other's manufactures marks/names, and should show photos of his companies Name and "Date", on their website. Other than that, leave the man alone with your two cent B.S.
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In case anyone would like to know, here is the makers mark of our company trademark that is fired onto our porcelain signs. We also number and catalog every sign we sell.
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Chad, Great talking to you the other day. Very informative!
Like I said on the phone, I would like to see not only your signs, but ALL reproduction pieces dated AND marked "reproduction". This is not so much for us today, although it's nice, but more for the guy or gal 40 years from now who is wondering if that piece he is looking at is early/mid 20 Century. When in fact it is 21st. No, this will not be a 100% guarantee against those who want to be deliberately devious. But 40 years, 60years, 100 years from now there will be, as there are now, sellers who dont even know what they have. They'll be passing things off as legit with no intension of being devious. They just dont know. And they will wonder, who is this Vault? Where a date just lets everyone, forever know what they have. And if I was making the signs. I would put it small on the front and on the back with the company name. Just my thoughts.
Steve Coppens Always interested in Sunoco items! Really want a Sunoco National pump ad glass!!
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Thats what I would say and agree with..
Wes.......
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Good thread, Love the signs and that they are all marked but agree that they need to be dated for the future generations.
Thanks Mike
Always Looking for any Pure Oil and Sunoco Items.
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You know what these "ultra high quality signs" have in common with cheapy tinny 5oz ebay repop's they're both GENUINE JUNK!!! PERIOD. I hope they will be marked by this company "vault". Typical Newbie The company should get rid of any other's manufactures marks/names, and should show photos of his companies Name and "Date", on their website. Other than that, leave the man alone with your two cent B.S. Sorry for being harsh but even YOU know repop's ruin this hobby. If this man's goal is to make identical copies of iconic signs great. Chase your dream!!! I am glad to see they're marked to provide simple proof of being a cloned sign. I agree with Steve C. 100% these should have "reproduction" marked onto them as well. As this hobby reaches a peak I believe the Barrett Jackson crowd will eat these up. Who's to say YOU sir can't burned in the years coming if one of these get's artificially aged in some guys backyard. Think of how sick you'd feel. But hey! I'm just a young "Typical Newbie"! -Anthony
Last edited by luminor89; Sun Jul 20 2014 09:30 PM.
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A web site address fired into the back of a sign pretty well post dates an early thirties original by several decades. Also read as reproduction.
ROD [Mich.]
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My understanding after a conversation with Chad the owner is that the signs they are manufacturing are NOT clones/reproductions of any sign, he referred them to me as a fantasy sign as they are not trying to reproduce the old signage but create new signs..he also tells me that there are major differences in what he makes and the older versions. ( keep in mind it's easier to work WITH someone than AGAINST them ).. as he is already in business, so your not going to stop the signs from being made , lets work together, there is room for everyone..in this hobby..
Wes.......
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According to his website they pride themselves in EXACT RECREATIONS after spending years studying how originals were made. Let's just wait 5-10 years and see what happens.
"Remember, history that is forgotten is doomed to repeat itself!"
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Kindly allow for further clarification. The number of signs we handcraft each year is very small. Of those, nearly all of them are fantasy pieces (consisting primarily of luxury sports car brands) that our clients commission us to build for them. There is a reason for this: the number of sheer man hours to handcraft a single piece of porcelain artwork to the high level of quality that our customers requires, carries with it a cost. As such, these signs tend to be appreciated only by clients who are desiring something uniquely beautiful.
So, while the process by which to create our signs is historically accurate to how signs from the 1930's-1950's were originally manufactured, the cost to produce them is likely going to prohibit the kind of trading hands that is being discussed.
With that said, however, I sure would enjoy collaborating with the hobby to come out with limited-edition signs in quantities that make it feasible for both novice and collectors alike to add a rare sign to their collection that they otherwise would never have an opportunity to own. Something of high enough quality to which even the purists could appreciate, much like has been done with reverse-on-glass globes. I love partnerships and appreciate Wes Hague saying that we could ‘work together’. If my company made an investment in ‘production’ of multiples, of say 10, 15 or 25 pieces, that the market would accept, it would be something that I'd really enjoy working on and would be an exciting project.
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