Next Thursday, May24th, my thirty-eight year collection of prized porcelain gas, oil, and automotive signs will be auctioned off at Morphy Auctions in Denver, PA. Of the fifty lots that are mine, the hit of the auction is my 3'x6' Ford neon sign. It has the highest pre-bid estimated value of anything else in the auction. If you always wanted a vintage Ford sign for your garage, here's the opportunity to get most likely the rarest one in existence. What makes it especially rare is that it's the only known time Ford ever permitted ANYBODY to alter their logo. All Ford signs consist of a cobalt blue background, white Ford script, and a white oval boundary ring. My sign is the same except the oval ring isn't white - it's teal in color. The sign is legit and bears the maker's mark of "Federal Brilliant Sign Co. St. Louis MO." Federal Electric* (Chicago) was the sign maker that raced to Paris in 1926 to secure the patent rights to make neon in America. I bought it right off the dealership premises in Gallatin, Missouri in 1981 and have additional provenance showing a photo the sign there in 1966. We think the sign dates back to 1929-1933. The Morphy guys went nuts when they saw it and they expect it to generate a floor fight. If you've got some extra loot (probably a LOT of extra loot) and would like to own it, check it out at morphyauctions.com. It's Lot #161.
Chris
* Federal Brilliant St. Louis was wholly owned by Federal Electric.
