Does anyone know if this pump plate was reproduced in 9 and 3/4 inches? If so who may have sold these? Thanks Ted

This is a picture of the actual sign in question. I purchased it at the Turlock Swap meet this Sat. It measures 9 3/4 inch and the green is slightly different from my dad's. Any flying A experts out there? Thanks. ~Jason

I believe there was someone in the Virginia/North Carolina area that was selling repops on eBay.They were porcelain and I think in the size you mentioned. I also noticed that the grommet holes were closer to the edge of the sign on the first sign pictured.

...look closely at the word 'FLYING', on the sign in question - it was typeset on a computer...the counterfeiter was lazy, and didn't bother to reproduce the lettering as on the original, he just picked a font that was 'close enough' and went with it...

Gas Pump Heaven list them in there catalog at 10" With the 4 grommet holes. But your may be real with split grommets. But some one can always replace those all so .

I BELIEVE I PICKED UP A REPOP FOR AN OUTSIDE PUMP FROM CARLISLE SEVERAL YEARS AGO. I THINK IT WAS APPROX THE SAME SIZE AS THE ORIGINAL WITHIN A QUARTER INCH OR SO. I MAY HAVE PICKED IT UP FROM GAS PUMP HEAVEN?

Mark you're right, most noticable in the G.

PRETTY MUCH ALL THE LETTERS IN BOTH SIGNS ARE SPACED MORE IN THE TOP SIGN THAN IN THE 2ND SIGN THAT JASON IS QUESTIONING.

The bottom part of the wings are noticably lower in the 2nd sign.
John

We held these signs up side by side for 15 minutes and it is amazing how close they are. I can't tell the difference in the fonts in person. If it is a reproduction, and it could be based on the price I actually paid, it is scary. We compared some original signal pump plates to 3 different unmarked limited repos and there were some obvious differences. This Flying A scenario would be the best repo I have ever seen. Does anyone know for a fact that 2 different green colors may have been used?

IS IT ME OR DOES THE RED "A" IN THE REPRO LOOK HEAVIER THAN THE ORIGINAL. THE REAL ONE HAS MORE OR A WHITE BORDER AND THE TRIANGLE LOOKS BIGGER INSIDE THE "A" ON THE REAL ONE TOO.

Jason:

I can't talk to the authenticity of the sign.

But I can say that I would believe the materials for making porcelain signs would be along the same lines as the Frits I use making lenses. I have noticed that even when re-ordering 'standard' colors from my Frit supplier, there can be slight variations in the final shade of the color.

So . . . original (or reproduction) signs made at different times can/could have varations in color. Especially for a formulated color like the funky Green Flying A used. LOL

Later . . .

Jim

So I must be the worst at telling fonts. I got an A in printing in high school but I could see back then. LOL I just saw a difference in the A and shade of green. However Flying A used several green shades as seen on many west coast ethyl pump plates.
I found some reproduced 9 3/4 inch repops and there were only a couple left in the stock and no more were being ordered as they were not being made. I will not reveal my source but had to have them to compare. May never know for sure, but here is the reason for marking signs if made in identical sizes. 9 3/4 " is not a normal repop size. If it is a repop at least you didn't get stuck for much as you could have. If the experts on here are having trouble I don't think your office clients will have a clue. My 2 cents. Thanks for all the input and help. Still can't see that font thing. I just fix cars. LOL Ted

Check this out to add to the confusion.
Item on ebay. Ted
220542862573

HHhhhhmmmmmmmm?????

After the merger of East & West Coast companies to form the FLYING A Co., signage would have been made on both coast by different porcelain sign companies. Even signage made by the same company 3 years apart will have some minor differences in color.

That ebay auction that went for 184.99 and 21 bids is the exact same pump plate style I purchased this weekend at Turlock. I'm glad I only paid a quarter of that price.

This is a good reason to have catalogs, to check if they ever repoped these things. I keep all the old catalogs. I just stay away from any thing that has been reproduced. That way there no question, in my mind. But you just don't know any more on some of this stuff.

If you stay away from anything that has been reproduced you would have a very small collection. I keep all catalogs new and old talk to tons of people but you just can't carry all that information to a swap meet. If you get burned lightly who cares. Live and learn. I have seen the best get stung and the heavy hitters get burned hard at times. My wife said it all. " It should be a law to mark all reproduced items" Now wouldn't that be nice. My 2 cents. Ted

I had 3 books and 2 very knowledgeable collectors with me. We even measured the sign with a tape measure. But for $50 it was worth the chance and it is a nice sign. Can't wait to see if these repos my dad tracked down match what I bought. We will definitely post pictures and move it to the known marked repos if it all adds up. That is why it is great to have this site so we can help each other out and avoid mistakes. But as we all know, it is very hard in the heat of the moment of a swap meet, to make that decision when that guy behind you might just snatch that sign and get that great deal because you took too long to make the decision.

I'm thinking both signs pictured are original.

I agree. The reproductions I have seen had only three grommets.

PM sent

I do not have Mr Flying A's email but if some one would send it to Jason I'm sure Craig would be glad to help. I would also say Tim is pretty sharp on this stuff and I think he is right about 3 gromets.

Here are the real facts on the 9 3/4" Tydol pump plates...

1) Both the Tydol Flying A (green) and the Tydol Ethyl (red) pump signs have been reproduced in the exact 9 3/4" diameter as the originals. These repop signs have been sold regularly on eBay for a year or two, usually for $20-$25.

2) The repops have white backs and the mounting holes are further from the edge, directly over the black trim line.

3) Genuine Tydol pump plates have mounting holes closer to the edge, barely touching the black trim line. The backs are generally light green but NEVER white.

4) Tydol pump signs with three mounting holes are genuine but much scarcer than the four hole signs.

Hope this info helps other collectors from getting burned in the future.

Paul

What the heck Pablo I thought you had moved to Argentina. LOL What the heck do you know you are too young. LOL Seems you might be on to something. But if you guys on here think they are both originals still I think you might be paying too much for a reproduction.I will sell you my reproduction copy for $100 shipping included. LOL Both Pablo and I collect a lot of pump plates and we learn as we go on. Good to see you post on here again Paul your knowledge and input is always welcome to me and others. Ted

Thanks Pablo.

WENT OVER TO BUDDY'S HOUSE THIS MORNING TO PHOTOGRAPH A SIMILAR TYDOL SIGN THAT IS ON A PUMP OF MINE IN HIS SIDE YARD GARDEN.

HERE IS WHAT THE 3+ YEAR OLD REPRO LOOKS LIKE. HOLES (4) ON THE BLACK LINES AND A WHITE BACK. EVEN THE RED IS FADING AFTER BEING OUTSIDE SINCE THE DAY I PURCHASED IT...

I'M NOTICING THAT MY REPRO SIGN IS LOOKING ALOT LIKE THE ONE IN JASON'S POST ON PAGE 1, WITH THE SIMILAR SPACING BETWEEN THE D, O AND L. THE DETAILS I MENTIONED AROUND THE "A" ARE QUITE SIMILAR AS WELL.

...Doc, your sign and the other repro are from the same batch, no doubt...

...on the repro, the grommet holes are centered on the thin black circle...on the original they fall outside the black circle...

....but all you have to do is study the differences in the word 'FLYING' between the fake and real plates...if you can notice the differences between artwork hand-generated in the 1940's and some hack trying to recreate the artwork and using 'something close' for the typeface, you'll notice it on other repro signs...it's really not hard if you pay attention to the details...

That is definitely from the same batch as the sign I posted. Somebody did a good job of making the grommets on my sign worn and cracking the porcelain around them. Thanks Doc. Now that we know the differences side by side, it is easy to tell. Hindsight is 20/20.
I would bet that 9 out of 10 guys from old gas would have been fooled at a swap meet by this sign before this post. Now, anyone who read this post will never be fooled again on this sign anyway.

WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS WHAT COLOR THE BACKSIDE OF THE ORIGINAL IS. I HAD ONE ONCE (BOUGHT IN 1985 FOR $18 AND SOLD IT IN 2002 FOR $185 TO A FRIEND), BUT CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THE REVERSE SIDE WAS COLORED AS.

I would have never bought one of those. They are just to confusing, along with the other 9" 3/4" round and the 10"x10' square, Flying A Gasoline ,and also the round 9"3/4" Tydol Ethyl in Gas Pump Heaven catalog. the catalog sez they are 10" but that not true there just rounding off the the size, and same thing on the 12" pump plates when there really 11"34" That's my opinion. Why do these sign makers have to make some of these pump plates identical to the real ones ? Iv been burned on some of this stuff also since Iv been collecting. It just made me BUYER BEWARE.

I think that the best way to tell on these is by the color of the back side.

Jason, are you calling me knowledgeable???LOL I wasn't sure at the swap meet but I am now. Did your other sign show up? Your dad needs the plywood.............

Backside of my original is a light green. Ted

Tom, you are knowledgeable. You can spot an original silver bullet can from a quarter of a mile. LOL. Other sign showed on Thursday and my Dad just got the plywood from me today.

Oops!!!!