A Walt Gosden Special: Signs of the Times Part II
Automotive historian Walt Gosden has posted the second of his "Signs of the Times" series.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
SIGNS OF THE TIMES PART 2
by Walt Gosden
For me, and I hope possibly many looking at this signs made of steel and wood, not plastic, not illuminated internally, nor with neon, send us back in time the same way we feel when we view a car from the same era and the car has a rumble seat or running boards.
History comes alive with the thought that all of this survives and could have been scrapped as it was out of date 80+ years ago. With most signs, like the cars there is a story behind them.
The Blue Book 1924 porcelain shield shaped sign advertised a journal soft blue cover book that was available from the automobile club. It was about 1 to 2 inches thick and gave detail instructions on what roads to take, to assorted destinations. The details are in miles between places. It also lists hotels, etc. for lodging and different editions were for various parts of the country. The one I have is for the New England area, New York state as well. This sign was used for years as a drip pan in a repair garage in either Dutchess or Westchester County. A friend from Mineola 40+ years ago was driving his old car in that area and stopped in because the place looked interesting. He saw the sign on the concrete floor in one of the work bays and asked about it and the owner of the place told him it was there to stop oil from staining the concrete! The sign is in remarkable condition because the oil dripping on it for decades didn't let it rust in places where the porcelain was chipped off. My friend Guy Roese bought the sign and I later traded or bought it from him.
The Buick Sign was in a garage in Great Neck in the service area up on a wall. I got thios in the early 1970s. We heard that the garage had ceased to be a Buick dealer (Belgrave??) and went to see and look if anything was there. In addition to the sign was a rear quarter panel for a 1954-55 Buick sedan that was NOS and never fitted to a car but must have been ordered to replace a damaged panel of a car that was not then used. I wanted to take the rear quarter panel home with me too but it wouldn't fit in the trunk of the car and upon thinking about it my parents probably wouldn't have approved getting a big sheet metal part for a car I didn't own that was only about 18 years old at the time. I still wish I had managed to bring that panel home.
The Beauty shop sign I just had to have upon seeing it as it is from the early 1930s and the image is of the popular hair style of that era, a marcel perp. It is so evocative of that era.
The Flanders Private Lands sign was found on the ground in some woods back in the 1950s by a friend and picked up and saved from time and weather before it had a chance to really rust away. It too is porcelain steel. I think I recall paying $20 for it.
Comments
I bet if you did get that 1/4 panel it would still be in your garage. Does anyone need a white corvette
C7 left front fender with only a few square inches of damage?
Walt, Thanks for sharing your collection of signs with us. Their history and how you acquired them makes me want to go out this morning and hit some garage sales. Al.
For sign addicts i recommend Automobilia mag.
Thanks Al, hope I am not boring to many people here with this. But with all the extreme heat we have to contend with I feel it will give some a few minutes of something to see and view and have some relief. Or it may just make you think “why does he collect all that heavy iron?” while scratching your head.
Walt
Belgrave was the Oldsmobile dealer in Great Neck. The Nuick dealer where you found the sign was Vars Buick.
We lived in Great Neck back then and by dad had bought several Buick’s from them in the 1950’s
thank you Jeff, if I recall they were not to far apart! I sincerely appreciate you posting the correct information, GREAT!
Walt
You are correct. Belgrave was south of them on Middle Neck Road in a beautiful stone building that later became Tower Ford. I think Ford has moved to Northern Blvd and I’m not sure what has become of that building. The old Vars Buick Showroom is now an art gallery I think, and the service area which was in an adjacent building is an independent repair shop.
Old steel and porcelain signs have always interested me, especially on long country drives when seen by chance.