Down, dirty and valuable

[tigerbeetle]

Here's a prime example of why I dig even larger (metal detector) readings.
Despite obvious "environmental damage,' I've already been offered $350 for this "porcelain" sign find.
Although it dates back to only the 1920s, it is from a short period when Western Union tried its hardest to work with the newly emerging telephone industry. A bit of a doomed effort.
By the by, the candlestick telephone depicted on this sign was the latest thing/look in telecommunications.
Note: These porcelain signs, sometimes called agatized signs, hold up amazingly well, even in the harshest grounds. What's more, there is a tendency for the growing legion of porcelain sign collectors to prefer those signs showing their age, via rust patches -- only obtainable from decades spent exposed to the outside world or buried below ground. Those rust badges of honor separates the real sign McCoys from literally thousands of fakes.

 

[creskol]

I like it! Very nice! Does it have a maker's mark on the back?

 

[capndan151]

Ya, that's pretty cool alright. What size is it? Do you hunt in all metal mode / dig everything?

 

[tigerbeetle]

The sign about 14 inches by 12 inches. The folks who want to buy it absolutely do not want me to take the rust off -- any of it.
The back of the sign is plain grayish metal with rust.

An item this size responds as "good" on my very deep-seeking Fisher CZ-3D. However, the sound it offers is distinct and I instantly know it's a larger ferrous object. That's where that "dig everything" comes in. I can't imagine digging every ferrous reading. That said, in recent years, digging larger Fe items has really paid off.

Tip: I used to hate detecting the likes of a steel post in the ground -- you know, the ones maybe 6 feet long and offering a reading along its entire length. Well, guess what can be at the ends of such posts? Yep, signs. A buddy, who I now have digging larger FE items, found an 80-year-old RR-related warning sign by painstakingly prying up a long buried post. I go the short route: I find each end of the buried post and check for a sign, without having to pry the entire thing out, -- as roots hold on for all they're worth and a back misalignment is only a mis-pull away.

 

[California Girl]

That's a nice find..I di not know it my self until I found some tins myself and than checked ebay prices! collectors are willing to drop some good cash for those..way to go

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

Great find, and great advice! I have a site by me that has a few of these types of targets...I have a few large NJ license tags pre 1920 that I found at the site...They do not hold up well, but it is worth digging the overload signals for them!

 

[ynpto804]

I like it. And would keep it.

 

[tigerbeetle]

Funny you should mention license plates. The other porcelain-on-metal prize I have is a 1914 NJ license plate. (And, technically, it's a form of enamel plating.)

For something like seven years, the Garden State utilized these simple but brightly cool porcelain tags -- before going to the fast-decay, stamped metal type plates. Many states used them fro much longer stints.

Porcelain license plates, when dug, are almost always badly chipped and corroded on the edges but if over 80 percent of the tag is still discernible, it's considered to be in fine condition -- and a pretty valuable find. Even the attached/detached metal state seals placed on those tags is a high collectible. See http://porcelainplates.net/newjersey_archive.html.

Tip: I researched cleaning and/or repairing porcelain signs and it is seemingly not advisable since buyers almost always prefer them in as-found state. Also, it's not cost efficient to have them professionally restored since there is now a growing suspicion that restored items might actually be forgeries.

Of course, if you're an end user, and a porcelain sign or tag is for the treasure wall, then look into a restoration.

I know a fellow who buffs porcelain signs down to the bare metal (de-rusts) then uses bright white enamel sink chip touch-up kits (available in most hardware stores or on line) to preform a very acceptable repair. On small chips, I cant even see his touch-ups. He also places the just touched up items into a warm oven to prevent any drips.