Petroliana

Most people, when you mention porcelain, think you're referring to fine china or some item you saw appraised on Antiques Roadshow. All the signs pictured below are "porcelain" signs, as opposed to painted on metal signs. The different colors in the sign start out as granules that are baked onto the metal surface. Early porcelain signs such as the Veedol ones have what they call "heavy shelving", caused by the layering of one color onto another. This can be felt as a slight bump as you run your hand across from one color to another. Those two particular signs are circa 1930.

The first sign I acquired was the "women's room" one. I found it in the bee house some years ago. It is copyrighted 1939 by the Union Oil Co. At one time my granddad's service station was a Union '76 so that is maybe where the sign came from. Except for some slight chipping of the porcelain on the very bottom, the sign is in excellent condition. Without that damage, the sign would be NOS (new old stock) which is what serious collectors are always looking for. Comparable to a book collector wanting a first edition with dust jacket, both graded FINE/FINE!

The other signs are "pump plate" signs, and would have been installed on gasoline pumps to let the customer know what type of fuel that pump dispensed. Texaco ones were typically 12" X 18". All of my pump plate signs are from the 40's and most were purchased from the same seller in New Mexico. His father had ran a Texaco distributorship in the 70's and the signs were tucked away in the warehouse. I pretty much bought any sign he put on E-bay because they were always in such good condition. The Indian sign is a precursor to Texaco, dated 1940 and in exceptional condition. I felt I paid too much for it, but being a stubborn bidder, I couldn't let it get away from me.

The "Vico" painting was taken in Coalville, Utah. It reminded me of an old photograph taken in Levan, Utah circa 1930. Barely discernable in the background of the photo is a "gravity feed" 10 gallon gas pump and a "tombstone" Vico oil sign from my granddad's service station. I would love to have THEM in my collection! The "Utah Liquor Agency" building is also in Coalville and I'm certain it was at one time a service station. I'll go there tomorrow for a fill up.