This lithographically printed tin 'Batteries' sign is a lovely and rare piece of early automobilia that's also a fantastically decorative in it's own right... 

 

The sign's made from two parts joined in the middle with a tightly folded overlap and is marked in the lower right; "Metal Sign No. 82E"... I think that this would have originally formed the lower part of an Exide or Drydex Batteries advertisement - the colour-ways and typography seem in keeping but I can't find any examples or references to this, perhaps it was a different, lesser known brand.

 

From the styling and manufacture I suspect that this piece dates to the late '20s/'30s and given the vulnerability of the tin signs compared to their enamel counter parts it's survived the decades well. This almost definitely hung in a car garage and the years of oil, grease and exhaust fumes have lead to some staining / discolouring mainly around the left side... There's also some surface corrosion, scratches and some light creasing (see the last photo where I've tried to show this) but in my opinion all of this adds to the character and vintage charm of the piece. The typography is wonderfully 'of the period' and the colour-way beautifully warm. 

 

An excellent piece of industrial decor - this sign can be hung using it's original mounting holes and measures 108.5cm wide x 37.5cm high. 

 

S/N: #1435