A complete and utter rarity, quite possibly a one-off. Here we have a RAC 'Get-You-Home Service' double-sided, illuminating sign still in the cardboard wrap it was delivered to the garage in. I can say with some confidence that the first time the sign has ever been out of that cardboard wrap was for the photographs and it was carefully returned afterwards... It's never been hung or even wired up!

 

The sign is likely to date to the 1950s and has glass panels on either-side and a standard bayonet bulb holder. This is how it would have been delivered to the garage / petrol station ready for display, but for whatever reason it was stored away instead! I bought the piece from a small provincial 'museum' / collection who had taken it in amongst other pieces when the local garage closed down in the 1980s/'90s. The cardboard sleeve has 'GYH' scrawled onto it to identify the 'Get-You-Home' variant of the lightbox inside. 

 

One side of the lightbox is vented, the otherside has four bolts / nuts which would have presumably allowed it to attach to a bracket for display, unfortunately the bracket must've been shipped seperately and the two pieces have since become separated. If the new owner did want to display I'd imagine something suitable could be fabricated with relative ease. As per the last photo, there is a bayonet bulb holder inside the lightbox with a two-core flex attached to it which runs to a connector inside the inspection hatch / door; I'd imagine the receiving garage would have to extend the flex or wire into an existing connection. Again, if this were to be used / displayed it would have to be re-wired but this can definitely be done with ease. 

 

Condition is, basically, as good as new. Certainly as close to 'new' as someone could hope to get. There's slight oxidation to the casing, but this would probably clean / polish off if wanted (I think it's nice to have some evidence of it's age), otherwise there's nothing to note condition wise. What to do with the piece presents a bit of a moral dilemma - it would look fantastic wall mounted and illuminated; the reverse painted (well, printed) glass panels are entirely unfaded and so the colours would be wonderfully rich, but equally it would be a shame to permanently un-pack it after it's survived as it is for so long... Thankfully I don't have to make that decision - the new owner can! 

 

The piece measures 53cm high / wide and is 8cm deep. 

 

S/N: #0941