Old porcelain sign are a big part of antique advertising memorabilia. They have a lot of value and are in high demand. There are fakes and reproductions out there however, so one has to be careful not to get fooled. It takes years of experience to discern what is authentic & what isn’t. Some of the details to look for are mounting holes, graphics, back sign, color & size of the sign.

Many of these signs were made in the early 20th century for automobile companies to attract motorists and entice them to stop, top off their gas tanks and make other purchases while at the station. The signage was meant to be colorful & whimsical and to communicate a message in a way that would be very visible to drivers flying by at 30mph. Often, the signage had to be bold in order to compete with the many other advertising messages being shouted out at the same time.

Porcelain enamel was a very popular medium for these advertisements because it could be produced relatively cheaply if the manufacturer churned out large quantities. It also has incredible longevity if it’s kept out of the elements. Despite the low manufacturing cost, these signs are still quite expensive to produce today and most buyers will spend more on a true original than a reproduction.

It is extremely important for collectors to know whether they’re looking at a real or fake sign when they start collecting. This knowledge will save them a lot of money and a whole lot of heartache when they start to realize they’ve been fooled. It’s not uncommon for fake & restored low grade real signs to be sold on the internet and at flea markets & garage sales.

During the 1930s & 40s, the use of porcelain enamel for signs began to decline. Many of the older signs were destroyed during scrap drives or discarded due to crazing & acid etching. Some were even melted down and used for war purposes as metal was in short supply during World War II.

There are still some porcelain manufacturers in the United States but they’re very few and far between. Most of the remaining manufacturers are limited to very mundane advertising like city & farm signs or municipal items, maybe for the Park Service or similar things. They don’t make the type of colorful competition that existed in the past & there’s not enough interest in them to justify the cost of making a new sign that’s only going to last a few years before it’s damaged.

The most important criterion for collectors is the graphics on the sign. If the graphics are vivid & unique, they’ll attract healthy bids at auction. Ultimately, though, it’s the cost that killed old porcelain sign, which are very labor intensive. Silkscreens were much cheaper and less labor intensive, but the quality isn’t as good. In addition, the signs are brittle when they’re fired and can easily chip or break during handling.