I have shelf's full of every imaginable kind of advertising medium but only a couple of boring enamels or porcelains as they are sometimes called over here. I picked this 12" x 24" sign up today at the first show of the summer season. It is pretty rough and may never be on a top ten list but I got it for $80 and if it turns out to be a rare branding it might be a good buy. I have yet to clean it and honestly don't know how to go about it so any suggestions would be appreciated.

Hi there,

Looks like a great sign fo $80!

i often use scouring pads gently to get the worst off and then maybe some acid to zap the tough rust stains.

Al.

GREAT LOOKING ENAMEL,THANKS FOR SHOWING...WELL WORTH $80 "BARGAIN"..IT LOOKS AS IF IT WILL CLEAN UP A TREAT TOO..I USE A COOKING CLEANER CALLED ASTONISH, WITH A LITE SCOURING PAD AND WARM SOAPY WATER,GIVE IT A GOOD RINSE AFTER AND THEN POLISH THE LIFE OUT OF IT..

Thanks for the suggestions. I will give them a try and if I can make it look a little more presentable I will post a photo.

Vlad

Well, I finally got around to cleaning my sign. Not a huge difference but it is cleaner and has a nice gloss to it.

I am always amazed at what you can learn from the internet. I remember when I would spend the day in a library researching an object and I was lucky if I could find anything. Now you can access company records, government data bases, etc.

I found out that this is quite an early sign. The US government started registering items in 1870 and the number on this sign represents September 26, 1876. I realize that it doesn't mean the sign is that early but I think it would still be pre 1900. Star plug tobacco was produced by Ligget & Myers of St. Louis, Missouri and the company boasted that it sold 3 times more than any other plug tobacco in the world.

BEFORE

AFTER

1896 ENVELOPE

POCKET TIN

SIGN ON STORE

Good job on the sign Vlad

So, what did you use to bring it up like that  ?

Relics

The garden hose, a brillo pad, a paste metal cleaner and auto wax.

Here's a sign I got on the weekend. Didn't want to start a thread with such a plain sign in the enamels section so I am just tacking it on here.

Good point Jez. I spent my early years in Dundee, and Perth was the first big town we would hit on the way to visit the rest of the family on the west coast. Going through Perth meant I would soon be dining on Mar's Bars and Coca-Cola at my Aunt's place. Back then, my needs were much simpler.

Vlad