Thanks to a very aggressive mid-century marketing campaign by Martini, their 'bar and ball' logo has become iconic. This enamel sign is a reasonable size and features a relatively early version of the logo with a rich red 'ball' element and large, simple typography. This same style of sign was produced throughout northern Europe, this French variant has a maker's mark for Publi-Régie Amiens and has the additional "l'Apéritif - en vente ici' (on sale here) text. The sign probably dates to the 1950s... 

 

The sign remains in reasonably decent condition; all four mounting tabs remain present and funcitonal with 2/4 retaining their brass inserts. The sign's colours remain vibrant and the gloss good, though there is some discolouration to the blue outer border along the upper half of the sign and a bit of discolouring to the upper right corners. There are patches of enamel loss scattered across the sign and a few surface scratches, particularly noticable around the 'R' and in the lower left of the red circle In my opinion these defects add to the character and history of the piece without affecting it's legibility or impact...

 

The sign measures 67cm wide x 31cm high x 1.5cm deep

 

S/N: #0580