This early, double-sided enamel flange sign for an E. Day & Co. Dyers and French Cleaners (an early term for dry-cleaning) Agency features wonderful thick enamel and the most fantastic typography. 

 

This example is a difficult piece to date - there's no enameler's/manufacturer's mark and I've not been able to find any information on E. Day & Co, however judging by the styling, the heavy base metal and the lovely, thick enamel layers the sign is likely to date from the late 1890s-early 1900s - about as early as you're likely to find a piece of enamel signage. The sign is double-sided and has a 90 degree 'flange' formed from the base metal that allows the sign to be mounted perpendicular to a shop front so it can be seen from both directions. 

 

For it's age the sign remains in excellent condition - the flange is still present and strong with it's original mounting holes in place and functional. The surface retains a decent gloss (see the last photo where I've tried to demonstrate this as well as possible) and there's minimal discolouration/fading. The 'outer' side (first photo) is near perfect excepting for some nibbling around the edges and a chip to the enamel to the right of 1820 (if you look closely, you can see that where the white enamel top layer has chipped away it's revealed the blue enamel base layer - an indicator of the less refined/earlier enamelling techniques). The 'inner' side also has some nibbling around the edges (one larger nibble/chip on the bottom edge toward the middle) and a few brown stains scattered around the middle of the sign where rust has leached through to the white enamel layer. For an early piece these cosmetic issues are relatively minimal and don't detract from the graphic appeal or legibility of the sign. 

 

The sign measures 31cm wide and 45.5cm high. The flange is 5.5cm across.