Neon Signs & Displays 1940s-1960s The double-faced stacked Kona Bowl sign was rescued by Donco Signs, Anaheim, CA, as the identified Costa Mesa bowling alley was being demolished, and donated to the Museum. The Tiki-style lettering epitomizes the SoCal island look so popular after World War II. The single-faced porcelain neon sign is shown as it is being lifted onto the Museum's trailer by a Hermann Signs and Services crew of Glen Hermann and Jeff Cooper. Hermann remembers when the Ford National Auto Supply sign was still hanging from the Mt. Vernon, IL auto parts store. The sign is single-faced because it faced a one-way street The late 1950s Speedy McDonald sign once identified the first McDonald's in the State of Kansas, and was originally located in Wichita. The sign is awaiting restoration. A perennial favorite among collectors, the famous Dogs 'n' Suds double-faced, porcelain neon stands about 10-ft. tall and was originally pole-mounted. The light bulbs in the arrow chase and there is extensive neon in the cartoon graphics. This sign is currently being restored. The double-faced Budweiser neon porcelain projecting sign is in excellent condition, except for the neon, which will be restored. The three-dimensional mortar-and-pestle sign is 24 in. high and 28 in. diameter and was originally intended to rotate. The neon has been dismantled in this photo for storage, but there are two rings around the sign, plus the ''RX'' is one-stroke neon. Roselyn Bakery sign donated by Doug Euers, president of Sign Studio Inc. (Indianapolis). The main sign used baked enamel faces on a stainless-steel cabinet with exposed neon illumination for the text -- a construction method typical of the late 1950s/early '60s, post-porcelain enamel era. The sign also incorporated an internally illuminated, plastic-faced cabinet at the top -- more typical of a later timeframe. A readerboard comprised the third section. "Go Gulf" (circa 1950) is approximately 11 x 12 ft. and was formerly mounted on the roof of a New Hampshire Gulf station. The spectacular is composed of porcelain enamel channel letters and panels and is illuminated by neon. This 1950s "globed icon" is the main portion of an original Earl Scheib ringed globe. The 6-ft. diameter globe sign features a Saturn-like ring with six cut-out sheetmetal cars attached to the ring. The globe was originally painted in green and blue to represent the seven continents and seas; the silhouetted cars were outlined in neon. The sign was totally restored by David Benko, Rocket City Neon, Camas, WA, for use as the centerpiece of the Museum's prototype display unveiled at the International Sign Assn. Sign Expo in Las Vegas, March 22-25, 2001. Bruce Suba, Suba Neon, Scotts Valley, CA coordinated the acquisition of this combination porcelain enamel neon and incandescent bulb sign. Hayford Brothers is in excellent condition, having recently been restored just before the closing of the auto glass business in 1999. The sign was manufactured by Electrical Products which is evident by the intact signtag. There were numerous styles of changeable neon signs made available in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This set of three configurations-- one line in both 35- and 50-in. widths and a double-line, 45-in. wide version-- was manufactured by Insco Products, Piqua, OH. The circa 1940 combination skeleton neon and clock hung in a Chicago dry cleaner's shop until just recently. The 34 x 30-in. window sign was manufactured by Neoncraft Products of Chicago. The skeleton neon just "sits" in the housings mounted into the top of the clock's cabinet, making the neon changeable for this semi-production-based display. This 12 x 20-in. skeleton neon (circa 1940) is mounted against a black background with fluted stainless steel trim. The "Penslar Drugs" window neon sign may have been a production-based sign, or simply a nice custom display made by a local signshop. The simple counter top "Shoe Repair" sign is composed of a skeleton neon "boot" with plastic panel illuminated by the same clear red tube. The production sign measures 14 x 18 in.

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