FAKE: anything that looks genuine but is not. - Oxford English Dictionary
The purpose if this page is to collate Petroliana items that may be mistaken for an original (i.e. pre-war).
In particular enamel signs made in recent years that have been deliberately distressed to look much older.
Reproduction signs that are being sold as such may also be listed to avoid any future confusion in case they
are sold later with less clear description.
Repro Enamel Sign
Posted: 23/08/2018
MORRIS TRUCKS
This is a classic British double sided 6 COLOUR enamel sign that unfortunately has been reproduced. This is being sold currently in America for around $100 and described as repro.
However I already know of one person who has been sold this as original, at a much higher price.
Sign does not have grey/white wrinkles adjacent to eye. Reproduction has too much white between eyebrows. "T" does not touch steering wheel. Shading/shadowing around letters.
Yet another Fake French B.P. Winner!!!
This is the fourth one I've recorded offered for sale in recent years. This one was offered for sale at £1,600 at a Goodwood Revival stall. As always these are all fakes deliberately distressed to look old.
Another of these fake Castrol double sided signs. This one turned up on a booksellers stand at this Beaulieu Autojumble, (Sept 2015) priced at £825.. It was immediately removed when I advised it was a fake. The sign, once again, was being sold on behalf of someone else. They wouldn't say who the sign was being sold for, but I will find out & publish their details.
This is the most valuable of the Mobil small rectangular enamel signs, so I guess they would choose to repro it.
Often sold deliberately distressed & mixed with a few genuine old enamel signs.
A fantasy sign produced in NZ in the 1980's. These are starting to resurface, they are a copy of a wooden box end. Very crude and were produced with a few colour variations..
As far as collectors know there is only one example of this sign. For several years it was in the superb McAlpine collection. It is now held by a well known collector/dealer. This original sign had been trimmed on the bottom and the reproduction has been copied with the missing section. There is only one sign like this. The one offered at auction recently (2015), is a modern fake!
American modern reproduction of this Shell sign. Keeps turning up on the internet and at auctions without clearly stating it is modern repro thus selling for several times its true cost.
I am a bit concerned about these. Over recent years three of them have been sold at auction. These signs were often made blank with just the A.A. logo enamelled on to the yellow background. The ones offered were Goodwood Motor Circuit in 2013,Prescott Hill Climb in 2014, and British Grand Prix in 2015.
All sold for hundreds of pounds. I wonder if someone has been stencilling and spraying the race names on to blank A.A. signs.
BEWARE: Another perfect copie in the same dimensions as the rare original: 88 x 63 centimeter)Very well made in good quality enamel. No date or enamel factory is mentioned beneath the sign.
Turns up often on Ebay Germany. Seller has lot off them but sells them as originals.
Vendor's Details: SIETSKE (one off his ebay names) Enamel sign dealer from Hasselt (Belgium)
This sign is currently under discussion & input would be appreciated.
Several serious enamel sign collectors do not believe this was EVER made as an enamel sign. They thus feel all are reproductions. This one was recently (2015) sold at auction for circa £3,000. The vendor insisted it was an original, and therefore pre-war sign.
Feed back from all would help clarify.
The photo here is one small corner of a large stand at Essen Motor show a couple of years ago. It offered mainly reproduction enamel signs mixed in with a few original damaged signs. You will see there is no signage indicating that the signs are mostly reproductions, nor are the original few marked as such. The Aeroshell is a reproduction.
This is a distressed/aged reproduction sign in good quality enamel.
The vendor was convinced it was a real one having owned it for some years. He sold it on e-bay in Spring 2015 with the assurance it was a correct pre-war rare Mich sign. After close inspection all accepted it was a reproduction recent sign that had been deliberately damaged to appear much older. A full refund of over £1000 was given.
Signs as this are available to buy on e-bay, sold as a reproduction, in either mint or distressed form for circa 135 Euros.
These simple hand crank private garage/farm pumps from the 1920's/30's are continuously being sold at auction with fake modern castings attached to crude welded brackets. These pumps NEVER had most of these casting decorations yet are continually sold by major auction houses for significant sums.
BEWARE all these cast aluminium signs in many various forms. Most are reproduction & certainly this Pratt's one is a complete modern casting representing a 1930's sign that was never made!
This is supposed to be a French version of the famous British enamel sign from the 1930's that is very valuable.
The sign was never made. Interestingly the flag is the wrong one for B.P.'s French advertising in that period. The size of the sign is considerably smaller than the correct English version. The sign has been deliberately distressed to look old.
This one was offered for sale by H&H Auctions a few years ago. Once notified that the sign was a fake they made an announcement before bidding commenced at the auction.
This is a repro of a great & valuable Mobil 1930's sign. They are good quality reproductions but are more & more appearing to be offered as original items. Hard to tell from the real thing! This one was photographed on a stand at Essen Show but they are turnig up all over the place!
This sign was offered for sale at auction by Watsons Auctioneers in Sussex earlier this year, Spring 2015.
The catalogue description did not state it was a modern reproduction but fortunately they checked on the auction day & announced the fact before offering the lot.
The design of the sign is taken from a 1930 Begian enamel.
This sign regularly is offered for sale at auctions, autojumbles and on e-bay.
The lettering particularly the word "gargoyle" is crudely done and out of line. I have seen many examples of this sign, all of which I believe are modern reproductions.Asking prices are hundreds of pounds for a repro sign that is worth a fraction of that.
This is a sign that is supposed to be an enamel(porcelain)sign from the 1920's. I believe the content was taken from Pratts (today Esso) advertising.
It was NEVER done as an enamel yet has been,on several occasions, been sold as a period pre-war item,for significant money.
Please note if you have any reason to doubt the accuracy of the information on this page or if you wish to dispute any of the individual entries please send and email to: alan@petroliana.co.uk.
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