Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Can anyone tell me about this sign? I've not see one so small and wonder what it could have been used for?

I purchased this porcelain sign at Hershey this year. It measures 12" across the oval and 9" from the top of the oval to the bottom of the "V". The back side is black and the metal is heavy gauge. I'm not a sign collector but thought it was a nice piece with good colors and the price was right for me.

I also noticed that the "8" has an oval shape to the bottom part. I'm used to seeing a pair of circles making up the "8" in the 1935-1936 era I'm most familiar with. Maybe this is a clue to it's age?

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Dave I hate to tell you, this is one of the "patina" india knock offs. They are nice and look legit but aren't. See the Ebay seller below and look at their other listings. Sellers claim them to be vintage, but they all come from a place in india that gives them all unique rust and patina. Whilst I could be wrong, I have seen some pretty remarkable fakes.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/35766547099...Bk9SR8iMub_CZg

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Oops...

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

I have a similar one (see rectangle sign photo). Same thing, looks old but really isn't. I got this several years ago, not at Hershey. It measures 10.5 x 42 inches and has enough scratches and faded spots to make you think that it was an original porcelain. Most of the genuine Ford porcelain signs have a sign manufacturer's name along the edge. (like the neon sign photo)

But.....if you like it, then you only have to please yourself. I'm sure all of us Ford collectors out there have similar experiences.

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Don't feel bad, Even the experts at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn been fooled. I personally have spent (way too many) hours making creations of mine look old. Mostly parts for old stationary engines, but wood furnishings as well. Below is a link to a short story that I stumbled upon in 1977, and since it involves the above mentioned museum it has some relevence here. Besides, the creator did nothing unethical and it still makes me smile 48 years later.

https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=Awrj...zjscAFL3qDV.A-

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...7" height="232

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...7" height="408

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Thanks for the input. I don't mind at all since I didn't pay much for it and only bought assuming it was a reproduction.

That said, I do like it and enjoy looking at it every day, so for me it was money well spent (rather than on a couple of Starbucks coffees).

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Here's an original used in the province of Quebec in Canada. It is roughly 40" x 32"

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Gary, Kool story!

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Dave these reproduction one have gotten so darn good it’s on certain ones hard to tell apart especially with the fake patina. But unless you are a hardcore sign collector who cares. It’s like comparing a brookville steel roadster body to an original.

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Michael - I'm all about original Ford parts when it comes to my truck, but for this wall-hanging, I'm actually happy that it's a repro so I don't have to worry about what eventually happens to it (other than I will attach a "Made in India" label on the back). For the price I paid, it's a nice thing to look at every day.

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

IF it helps you Dave OR anyone else following this post, here are my "Original" Ovals, BOTH ovals came off the Local Ford Dealer's "OLD" dealership building downtown from 1916 after they moved to the "burb's" in 1971 NO "property of" or trade mark type "fine" print, at least NOT in 1916.. The Ford Service arrow came off the Old Ford Dealer that was in Foley Ala. the neon part was done incorrectly and am fixing to have it redone. I was part of pulling them ALL off the buildings even when I was 6. I "had" always heard that the "fine" blue pin stripe outlining the Oval on the "Ford" was not "original" OR a "modern" addition.....SO thank you DavidR for sharing your sign and proving that myth just that, a myth!!! I can post pictures of the Backs of the ovals IF anyone wants that

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...9&d=1761321326

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...0&d=1761321326

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...1&d=1761321326

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...2&d=1761321326

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Thank you Pete, interesting to note the differences, especially the horizontal bar of the "Script F" and subsequent curly Q at the end and the spacing away from the horizontal body of the F

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

None neon Ford Dealership sign.
Interesting.
The only other time that you see that is when dealerships posted the sign outside of town letting drivers know that there was a Ford dealer in the next town.

I dont have a Ford merchandise catalogue that shows all the available signage. I think that our 1935 person may post some of the catalogue.

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Bruce
I, along with DavdR, have this original showroom neon. I ALSO have the V8 Ford Trucks neon, its damage currently BUT working on having it restored after my Service Arrow. These were "acquired" at the same time as three Ford Ovals we got in my earlier post!!!

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

My only original Ford signs are the V8 Truck hanging window display versions. I am fortunate to have two and both operate (with a modern transformer). It's hard to photograph a glowing neon sign, so here's my best attempts. Neither picture really gives them justice. I have one in my garage and one in my office for inspiration.

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...7&d=1761329635

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...8&d=1761329635

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Yeah I hate to tell you but you was 'took' buddy.
This sign is a fake and has no real value.
From people I spoke with who were at Hershey, petroliana especially signs were stupid money. Too bad they couldn't police for fakes and replicas beforehand.

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

BlueSunoco - I don't feel bad at all. I paid almost nothing for it and assumed it was not an original.
I like it because I can hang it on the end of a shelf unit and see it every day. It's value is that it can bring a smile to my face.

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

I've had this for at least twenty years and never could figure out its origin.Think it came out of New York,11" X 11" brass plate probably 16 gauge or close to it. I know it is center stamping for a late thirties or '40 Ford pickup tailgate but why? Either original or reproduction that was testing stamping first or purpose made. I think the seller told me it was covering a hole on a barn for years but that was probably a barn find story.

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Maybe it WAS a test piece for stamping dies. I have had 2 tailgates where the ford logo was beaten to death by users repeatedly dropping the tailgate free-fall onto a trailer ball. 35 years ago I talked to a company in Michigan that sold reproduction tailgates to try to talk him into placing a rectangular piece of steel (like a license plate size) into his press and making me a weld in repair piece. Instead he sold me a piece they offered for street rodders that had the same logo stamped into a replacement lower front corner of a '53 f-100 pickup bed. Worked perfectly. So there has been some call for just the stamped logo.

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Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...03" height="39

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...3" height="392

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Often see various porcelain signs at swap meets/flea markets but unless bargain priced, I walk on by, might be passing on good buys but one needs to know the difference to pay todays crazy prices. Always liked the Andy Rooney signs but even those are up in value & seldom seen locally with exception of the bigger venues.

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

I haveone of the Andy Rooney signs I bought years ago,"Auntie Chatter".I thought it was a made up company for the sign until I saw one on Ebay go for over a grand,it was old.

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Well jeez, if its story time again I got one.
I spent the last 30 years doing finish grading for an asphalt co. Driveways, parking lots, streets, etc.

One job, I go to remove the old drive, and prep it for paving. The customer is in his 80's, a WW2 marine vet. My driver that day was a Viet Nam marine vet, so while they visited, I removed the old asphalt. Read that as...no help, they were busy.

Quite common if folks were home, they liked to watch. Perhaps entertaining, or perhaps because it cost so darn much!

On this job, the door was open, and I could see an old porcelain sign hanging on the back wall. Once done loading out the chunks, I told the old fella " thats a cool looking sign back there, can I look at it" ? Sure, he says. As we walk across the garage he says "are ya interested in that? the grand kids don't want any old stuff.

Well, I know very little about signs except that some are crazy expensive, and some are not, depends on how rare they are. I got most of mine for free from dumps over the years, when nice ones were 50 bucks at swap meets. I thought who the heck would pay 50 bucks when mine were free. Well, mine mostly have bullet holes, and now the 50 buckers are thousands.

Back to the story, so I tell the old fella yeah, I'd give him a 100 bucks for it. Really, I don't know if its a hundred dollar sign or a thousand dollar sign, its not my thing.

Well heck yeah he says, going for a screw driver to take it down. While we are taking it down he says, do you want the matching thermometer next to it? I said, I know I have one 100 dollar bill on me, but not sure how much more. He says you can have them both for a 100. Then, while we were loading equipment to leave, her runs down the street with more gifts.

One, a glass quart old time oil bottle. I've had many of these, but this one is mint. never got rusty on the funnel end, and even still had the little cap on top. another, just an old car jack for who knows what, then the big one... A photo of him at the gas station working as a kid with both the sign and the thermometer in the photo from just before he left for the war. how cool is that!

So, I get home from work that day and I wanna know what I bought. Google searches are showing this sign sell at Iowa Gas auctions for 8 to 12 thousand dollars!

Next I call a friend who makes his living off this stuff because I can't believe it, he laughs and says " you did good today son, I've only had one. bought it for 100, and sold it the same day for 10K !!!

I had a fire in my shop a few years before and lost all kinds of valuable stuff, so the thought of a 10k sign on the wall turned me off. My friend was too cheap, only offered 5 for both. The sign was not mint, some chips, and someone scratched their initials in it. The thermometer was very nice.

I sold them to another dealer for slightly more, still wholesale I'm sure.

The sad ending...The guy had horses, stored hay in his shop, and welding one day caught the place on fire and lost 100's of thousands of dollars in signs and gas pumps

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...2&d=1761713812

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...3&d=1761713812

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Attachment 576280
100% sure this one I bought off Ebay is a reproduction but it's that good it's hard to tell.

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Model 51: I have the same basic two sided sign. Mine does not have the "property of Ford etc." anywhere it does have the extra blue pinstripe line around the oval and the top of the white 8 is attached to the white above around the oval. I am positive mine is a cheep knock off.

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

Acquired a 12" or so vividly colored orange & black double-sided Firestone sign this past year that had a 90-degree factory bend for protruded mounting from a store front or show room, not sure if the real deal but believe they are in fact reproduced. The $25 price was within my budget & currently graces my garage wall.

Re: Ford Oval Porcelain Sign ID Help
 

That's the kind of price point that makes the sign hanging in my garage worth it, repro or not.