Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Petroliana Value Questions shell aviation sign barn find..! how old is this ?

hello...looking for history and any info on age, value etc of this sign. porcelain shell aviayion products. 17 1/2 feet wide. i have never seen a white clam shell. can anyone fill me in on details>?? thanks much.
they cleaned up real nice. 1 set has minimal chipping and great color and gloss...

heres another look...any help on age, history value etc would be great...thanks

possibly foreign?..

hi randy...we do know they came from a minnesota airfield..

I do not think they are foreign,here is a picture of one i had many years ago--12" white pecten,overall length 10'.I think from the 50's era.It came from a small town in N.Ca.on the coast.Yours have to be in the "thousands".

thats a great sign...thanx for sharing

Matt--Nice find! I can't help you with age and history but your sign has considerable value and I would do some research from past auctions and other sign owners to get a close idea as to the value! To find 2 of them is tremendous!

Run out and buy a lottery ticket.....too late, you won

Wow, those are so cool and rare!

I'd say 1930's. A past discussion......
http://www.oldgas.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=343637&page=all

Nice find!

I like Shell over any other brand so you sure got my attention. Requesting a price brings many answers. When, where and how sold etc. In a retail shop I would expect to see a $4000 price tag. Much more if in better and more complete condition. Just my personal opinion. If I wanted such a large sign I would pay that.

The style of the design on the Shell looks like the late 30's-40's as the base has the side scallops and detail was reduced.

Since it was colored white I would venture a guess that it was to contrast to the wings and it mimic'd the flying insignia of the day. White may have a significance in aviation or simply as a contrasting color.

Craig Osbeck may have some information about this as well. He was looking for one of these white shells.

Oldgas thread on wingset.

As for value.... heh... I would say due to rarity easily $5k+ for a complete wingset w/Shell. Considering what a 48" in near mint is bringing I think that would even be a very conservative estimate. And a pair of them? Even some Damage wouldn't put off the price much since most aerodromes had entrances at both ends so add 60%+ for the 2nd wingset.

Pretty sure Miles Little had a pair of these out on the parking lot in Columbus. Or the guy next to him.

8k for the pair