This small, double-sided tin sign for Veedol Motor Oil is a piece of two halves; one face remains clean and vibrant with nice and original colours and surface gloss, whilst the other side shows the signs of a life-lived and is rich with the sort of patina that just can't be replicated... 

 

Veedol is world renowned for it's top quality engine oils. in 1914 Veedol was used as the choice of oil by Henry Ford for the worlds first mass produced car in the USA – the Model T Ford. In 1928 the first airship (The Graf Zeppelin) to fly around the world chose Veedol as their engine lubricant. In 1931 the world's first non-stop flight across the pacific ocean, flown in the ‘Miss Veedol’ plane, used Veedol engine oil for their flight and is possibly the reason behind the wing graphics on the V in their logo. From here Veedol Oils were used in land speed records and even space flights! 

 

The sign has been created using the lithographic printing process on a thin tin base metal and has a date stamp for 1951. As per the photos, one side remains in decent condition, especially considering the vulnerability of tin-signage compared to enamel; there's a little surface corrosion around the outer edges and a few scratches, but generally it's as good as you could hope to find for a piece nearly 70 years old. The other side however seems to have baked in the sun for the majority of those decades although it remains fully legible, the cream background and red lettering have all burnt out to a deep, rusty brown. The black layer of paint has proven more resilient and even has a reasonable amount of shine still... 

 

A fun piece, with bundles of character and your choice of how best to display it... The sign measures 44.5cm in diameter. 

 

S/N: #0924