Vintage Gas Sign. Or Not?
Vintage? Or Vintage Looking?
Because it’s winter and I have been sick as a dog from burning myself out. I am spending way too much time searching around the internet for story ideas. One of the categories I look at is Vintage Boat Signs. To be honest is far and in between to find a good sign, and when you do its priced so crazy that I just let it go. Okay, todays topic. Fake? Vintage? This is getting to be a major pet peeve of mine. Folks are printing stuff to look aged and vintage, and then selling it as vintage.
Copy from this above listing? Alot of I dont know what they are stuff.
Here is another on on ebay. 1. What are the chances of this company having two signs that survived..and with the same exact rust issues?
And below is the same sort of copy..mmmmmmm?
Read the copy. No mention that it is really old. Just some vaige BS
I will say that this looks real. So this is just me asking. Are these two identical signs real vintage, or is the art work a vintage design that is reprinted? Also note the type is ratty. An original would be perfect. No roughness
I will add that the type feels a tad off. But unless I could see an actual verified sign next to it. Who know. The good news is they are only for sale for 9 bucks. So? I suppose you get what you pay for. But why not explain that in the copy? Why not explain that painstaking effort has been done to create a vintage feel. These signs normally sell for XXXX . At least that’s honest copy
Here is one that feels real????? Note the imperfection of the GASOLINE as a font.. And color on the boat. And the holes are in different areas. Real? I dont know
Now it gets even stranger. Perfect type, no sharp points on the GASOLINE font and the color is much more robust. BUT?
Here is a gas pump topper for over 600 bucks. Not the colors, and font? Real? The price would suggest that. But who knows now?
I have used one obscure brand to make a point here. Photos are from ebay listings, and no way am I saying these are not what they claim to be. The copy is written like a lawyer wrote it to avoid any claims. The point is here. That there are so many reproductions out there, that is it killing the Original market for these? How does a consumer know? Can we translate this into our little universe. Are there fake barn finds? UGH!
If it’s from India it’s new made to look old.
My thought:
If you’re selling GASOLINE, why would you have a picture of a sailing schooner???
probably to do with the tidewater brand they were the company that had veedol oil and flying A gas. I remember the little tin tyodol men with the oil can the went on your license plate bracket
That Memorex ad only worked because we watched it on horrible low quality TV’s that had screens barely bigger than a basketball, and with similar curvature too!
As for the signs, wouldn’t it be easier to accurately copy the fonts, images and colors rather than to come up with your own? Who ever wanted creativity in a counterfeiter?
I really like how the reflection of the sun on the front of the boat on the globe (at the bottom) turned into a Ford GT40 racing stripe in the copies above.
For the pop topper pay attention to the posted pictures. One picture of the very top of the glass shows http://www.pogogas.com 2006. So I would safely say that it is a repop.
Generally the ropop signs are not porcelain.
Also watching American Pickers they do teach you the differences between originals and repop signs and glass pump tops.
Dang. You’re right! Son of a bbbbbbb. Why don’t the descriptions explain this. There is this vague wash of the facts. And the term vintage is wrong and deseptive
All this fake age is giving real age a bad name. Sadly, it’s just not as interesting as it once was. Can you remember when spotting a Ford Cobra on the street was truly exciting? Yeah, all the phony ones kinda blew that.
I predict a major move toward legitimate mint and original stuff once this “patina” fad gets totally trod into the dirt, and we’re just about there.
I doubt that will happen unless the prices of originals drop to the cost of the repops. Most people can’t afford to decorate there basement/man cave with originals. Some original signs bring a couple of grand or more. Pump toppers are usually 500.00 and more just for the glass part. An original ring without glass is about the same price.
Oh. Matt. If the rust looks smooth with no pitting its probably fake (aged). Rust spots that have bubbled or pitted are probably real. It takes a lot of time to produce that effect.
The rust thing is what throws me. I can see the pritned rust crap. Which is insane, but.. But these look like its real rust. Which is confusing. But I guess there is a way to advance the speed of it. Or maybe its the photo of it. The decriptions are what really torque me. These douchebags have written the copy as if they are not responsible. Sometime I HATE ebay and the carny side show scams.
The more I get into this the angrier i get at these scumbags. Here is a fantastic short page on the topic. Dead on! Chimicals are used to created the rust effect.
https://artfactory.com/porcelain-signs-authentic-fake/
Search “TIWOSER sign” on ebay. Most are from India. Then click on “See other items” and for some reason they fell in to a pile of new/old signs. If it looks too good to be true it is!