Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Gulf sign with added neon on BAT

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/neon-gulf-sign/

Is there any way to know if this sign is a fake? I realize that even if a real vintage sign, the neon was added recently.

Look at pic 39. The cable clamp is made in India. I realize that a LOT of electrical pieces are made overseas. But seems like most of the off shore electrical stuff in this country is made in China, not India.

Seller dodged the questions of WHEN he acquired the sign and dodged the question of WHO did the neon work.

the word India should have sent up a red flag + along with seller dodging questions,

in a court of law dodging questions puts your credibility in question .. ...

Lots of ongoing hokey promotional hype posted by the seller while the auction was in process. Definitely less than a straightforward approach in my opinion. Yet, in the end, somebody wound up paying $14,000 for this piece. John

Neons, whether original or fake/fantasy are bringing BIG money at auction these days.....the garage decorator crowd with lots of expendable income loves them. Personally I'd never buy one that wasn't an original neon as I don't condone the drilling and holing of innocent signs.
Darin

Is there any way to know if the sign is one of the fakes from India?

My fear is that the neon hides any tells.

Anyway, as you can see, I have been a member here since 2016, but have not posted. Frankly, all of the fake signs have turned me off AND I just don't know enough to tell real from fake. I ALMOST bid on this one, til a friend pointed out the "India" clamp on the wiring. Again, I don't know the seller, and am not accusing him of anything. Just looked fishy.

LynnB, Don't worry about missing this GULF sign. $14,000 would be much better spent on other neon pieces....one or ones you have no concerns about. There are some decent auctions in your neck of the woods where you can actually inspect the items before bidding. Hopefully, that will make you more comfortable. John

If you think $14k was high for the Gulf sign, check out this Mobil sign:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1949-mobilgas-porcelain-sign-with-neon/

When I asked what assurance he could give that the sign was an actual made in USA vintage sign, he was evasive. Just stated that it is "dated 1949", as if no one in India is smart enough to date a sign 1949.
It may very well be vintage, but I would like to see a seller at least ONCE simply state: " I guarantee this sign to be made in the USA in _____ year".

Seems simple enough. The seller may be the most honest person on the planet, and the sign may be 1949 USA made vintage. I don't know him.

The large neon oil company signs I see at a couple nationally recognized auctions are mostly reproductions. Meaning, the signs are usually original but the neon was added by the seller. There is a huge market to dump these signs on collectors that have the money and don't really care how original it is.

If you want a truly original neon sign buy from a known seller of original signs.

That neon work looks terrible.

The actual porcelain metal Gulf sign is original. To make the sign a neon sign, they have to drill the sign, build the can (the 6” thick back portion of the sign), add the neon, add the transformer, and the wire and plug. So the the wiring and clamp in question was probably stuff bought at a local Home Depot etc. So the sign is original, everything else is not. Just store bought stuff to turn it into a neon sign.

With all that being said, I totally agree with a couple comments above. I hate to see holes punched in original signs. And…. This sign went for way too much. You can buy this sign for $1500-2000 in this condition. There’s no way adding a can and neon costs $12,000.