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 The last four months have brought a number of new acquisitions to the Museum's growing collection, including two large porcelain enamel, neon-illuminated identity signs from the mid to late 1950s. The first of these is the well-known Speedy McDonald sign, an example of which the Museum was able to purchase in Wichita, KS. The specific sign acquired by the Museum identified the first McDonald's franchise in the State of Kansas and dates to 1958. It was manufactured by Sign Crafters, Evansville, IN, and bears the company's name on the original porcelain face. The manufacturer still has the blueprints for the sign on file. The double-faced classic sign will need considerable restoration, which the Museum is negotiating for with several sign companies.  A second major acquisition from the same era came from upstate New York in the form of a Howard Johnson's main identity sign. The stainless steel cabinet sign was in storage for twenty years at a building owned by Phil Durante, Durante Signs, Utica, NY. Although the neon still needs to be tested, the majority of the tubing save the border is intact, and the porcelain faces and cabinet are in better-than-average condition. The sign includes the recognizable lamplighter, boy and dog figural at top and the arrow with chasing light bulbs pointing the way. A third important iconic addition, though regional by market, is a double-faced Dogs 'n' Suds sign, acquired from a private collector in Lansing, MI. The cartoon-themed sign is prized by collectors and once could be found in the Midwest. The three sign classics join the famed "Great Sign" of Holiday Inn, which was donated to the Museum by Young Electric Sign Company's Las Vegas' division. All four will require restoration: The Museum welcomes inquiries from sign companies willing to donate their time towards re-lighting these important American signs. (For more news on "recent acquisitions," see page three inside). |