An iconic piece of early, English Automobilia - this Lodge Plugs enamel sign combines a rich yellow background with some wonderfully stylised typography. 

 

Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge (1851-1940) was a British physicist and writer who invented electric spark ignition for the internal combustion engine (the Lodge Igniter). In Birmingham 1903, Alec and Francis Brodie Lodge (two of Oliver’s sons) founded Lodge Brothers, to produce electric ignition coils. Lodge Bros had started to sell plugs when the introduction of the Bosch magneto made their heavy coil system obsolete. It was H.G. Longford of the Sphinx Sparking Plug Company who made this suggestion and that the Lodges should design their own plugs and let him manufacture them. Alec Lodge’s designs were superior to the plugs of the day and became known for sparking plugs suitable for motor cycles, cars, motor boats and for gas and oil engines as well. In 1919, the name shortened to Lodge Plugs Ltd and so we can date this sign to the 1920s - soon after this name change. 

 

The sign was produced by Wildman and Meguyer Ltd - one of the less common enamel sign manufacturers; they seem to have formed around 1900 and to have ceased production around the mid-'30s. The signature type of maker's mark found on the sign is commonly found on their earlier pieces which also helps pin-point the production of this sign to the early 1920s. 

 

As should be expected from an early piece of enamel signage, the base metal is of a good gauge and the enamel layers are nice and thick. It has survived in decent condition; sit's perfectly flat with all the original mounting holes present and strong. There's a little enamel loss around the mounting holes (upper edge and lower corners) and a few other chips to the enamel, most notably to the 'E', other than this there's just some bubbling to the enamel around the lower left that will have happened during manufacture. 

 

The sign measures 1.22m wide x 46cm high.