Authenticating porcelain signs

[mechanician]

I should preface this by saying that I am not a sign collector, nor do I want to be one, most of the more desirable signs are out of my era of collecting anyway.

 

I raise the question as I was looking at some items the other day, there was a sign that the dealer at least outwardly seemed to think was genuine.  Just looking at the porcelain and (apparent) patina I didn't see any reason to doubt that it was so...until I read it carefully and caught a misspelling that no advertising department (or native English speaker making the sign) would have approved.  Again, I have no interest in getting into collecting these, but the fakes are good enough that it is scary, especially given what these are bringing today.  I also know there are authentication experts (credentials unknown).  What are they looking for?  Is there some sort of definitive test, instrument, etc that can identify these things (such as on the chemistry of the material etc).  If not, one wonders if the fakes will eventually weigh on the market. 

[Terry Bond]

Nearly impossible to condense 40+ years of handling them into a few paragraphs here.  If you are just "curious" about a particular sign, post some photos and I'm sure some of the advanced collectors here will give you a few pointers.  Meantime - study what you are looking at and do a fast google search to see how many come up for sale.  Yes, some of the repros have spelling errors in the lettering and that's a dead give-away for sure.  I look at the quality of the sign first - are the graphics crisp and clean with smooth edges, or is the lettering jagged-edged showing where a stencil has been used to paint it?  Porcelain signs are indeed produced by the zillions both here and overseas.  Many of them are what we call "fantasy items" that were never actually produced.  Look at the back sides of the signs and see what kind of background shows.  Most repros will have a gray or dark sprayed on appearance.  Look at what you think is "patina."  Porcelain was done on heavy iron and old rust should look old, not recent and red in color. Look for wear and damage in logical places.  Lastly, buy from trusted sources and not online where listings have been carefully disguised by using words like "vintage."  When a seller tells you it's from an "estate" or "old collection" that doesn't mean crap.  Look for information on how signs were actually produced and take a look at some of the information on the internet that will help.  The Authentication Company (TAC) can be a good place to start.  There are other resources that will help you learn more about how to detect sign fakes and forgeries.  They are everywhere and unfortunately often the person selling a fake isn't really aware he has one.  I've seen bogus signs laced into professionally managed estate sales and auctions. 

 

I'm not an expert and collected most of what I have directly from original sources - old garages, patching holes in fences and old buildings, etc long before they were being sold for silly money and being reproduced. That doesn't mean there are not a few reproductions acquired along the way from family and friends as gifts.   Every collection has a few.  Some collectors have even made some mistakes during the heat of an auction.  Handling the real thing is part of your sign education so get to know some serous collectors and when you attend an auction listed to what others have to say while you preview the items.  Don't be afraid to ask questions either whether at an auction gallery or at a swap meet.  If the seller is obviously making up some tall-tale, or if something seems too good to be true, hold your money tightly and walk away. 

 

Others here can offer their own advice -

 

Terry

[mechanician]

Thanks.  My interest is more curiosity than anything, as they aren't in my area of collecting.  The sign in question was not a fantasy but a straight-up copy.  I suspect that a letter of the original that was copied had a chip or blemish and they took their best guess, and guessed incorrectly.

 

It seems like with just a touch more effort these things could be undetectable if the authenticators are just looking at characteristics and colors.  I was hoping someone would say there was some chemical analysis etc (but I am not surprised if there isn't in this case).  The art world has gone in that direction, as these signs are starting to approach fine art prices in some cases I could see it becoming an issue.

[TerryB]

There were reproductions done probably 20+ years ago that were for sale at many car show flea markets including Hershey that were well done.  Generally they were smaller than the originals but still presented well and were fine for a budget hobbyist like me.  Now I see some of these same signs selling on eBay for a lot of money because the supply is less than the demand.  In comes the India made reproductions that in most cases are poorer quality than those early reproduction signs.  I always check eBay to see if I can find a sign that I think is a reproduction and find out how many are for sale there.  If there’s more than one or two, good chance it’s a reproduction.

A local estate sales company near me had a porcelain sign and some framed 1930s racing posters for sale that were priced at several hundred dollars each.  I thought they were reproductions and a few minutes searching on eBay confirmed my suspicions.  I don’t mind buying some reproductions if all I want is a little garage art and not an investment.  The best advice is buyer beware !

Edited May 19 by TerryB (see edit history)