Early Coke light Up Sign

[davethebirdman]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fabulous-Antique-Coca-Cola-Neon-Lightbox-Sign-/121304983018?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c3e5725ea

What do you think guys.. real or repro. If real I would assume that this is a REAL collectors piece.

Well out of my price range. Mrs B would have a hissing fit

Dave

[dr galaga]

Interesting. Never seen one like that.  It's probably real, as in my wife would be real pissed if I bought it too!

[SIGNGUY]

This is a very interesting piece.. I have never seen it before and I don't think it's in any book, but dont' have one with me to look at now..

At first glance my thoughts would lean toward a fantasy piece as I don't understand why there is SOOO Much information on that one sign, it looks overdone,, and if you look at all the other advertising Coca Cola did, They are very simple, just a logo on a an opposing color, like white logo on red background.. Why would Coke have all this info on a sign that was suppose to hang on a side of a buiding, assuming a grocery store,or pub to attract people into the establishment to enjoy cold COKE.?  know what I mean?

The other part of it is it must be glass.. how did it survive hanging on a side of a building for as long as it took for that metal ring/mount to rust that bad?  just odd things.

but again looking at it , it does look aged properly and seems to fit that frame nicely, so would think it would be hard to manufacture a reverse side glass bubble lense just for a one off sign...
so maybe it is just one of these super rare , early pieces, or maybe it was only manufactured for overseas? ..

Really hard to tell,, would be a neat piece to own for sure but not for 12k.

will be interested to what others think?

[johnieG]

All those pictures, and not one of the reverse side! 

[MoonDawg]

       Yes both sides are shown. But one side shows the mounting bracket at 9 O'clock and the other side mounts at 2 O'clock. (?)

       It is obvious that ring has never been removed or even opened to change the bulb, so the glass must be original.

       I'm thinking maybe it was specially made to hang in the Coca Cola headquarters somewhere?

       This is a question that should be directed towards Allan Petretti, he will know what it is.                I like it!

       

[tkaz]

The design looks like the old Coca-cola keg tops, definitely an interesting item

[BONOVOX]

I love the fact that of the few cities listed, my hometown is there (Toronto).  Born in T.O. but moved to the burbs for some space lol

It would be interesting to see if this is legit or not.  Would the fact that the steel ring is SO rusted out, would none of that rust bleed into the glass leaving a stain of some kind?  And after ALL these years, it was just now taken down?  NO ONE ever offered $$$ to the establishment to buy it from him?  I dunno.... I want to believe.... just hard to do so.  AND why only those cities listed?  At the time Coke was made, it streached to MANY more cites than those few, even the bottling plants.

 

[BONOVOX]

Tkaz.... good eye with that!  It looks VERY close to that.... so one wonders if this was taken from a keg design? Hmmmm
Hope someone here knows.

[MaineT]

"It is a double sided convex light-box sign made of perspex"

Perspex is plastic or Plexiglas.

It also looks printed with dots, which would be very difficult to do on a curved surface given the technology way back in the day doing it like a lithograph. If it were real and curved, I would expect hand painted.

I'm guessing 1960's to 1970's at best. But it could be 1895 for all I know. 

[sc1101]

If it really is plexiglass I would agree there should be some staining from the years of rusted steel. I also think it would be so dry and crispy after all that time outside it would be cracked or broken. Not sure I'm believing this one. I want to believe because it is a great looking sign but I'm thinking repro. Why would this sign also read "We guarantee these contents of this package"?