I remember buying the sign with my father from a flea market in Hershey, Pennsylvania and having to carry it three quarters of a mile back to the van. Many early advertising signs, and clocks are made from porcelain or enameled. Sheets of color and layered glass are melted together on iron metal foundation to form these vivid signs. Since television was not popular yet, car manufacturers and gasoline companies depended on signs to show their promotional work. All signs are different shapes and sizes with graphics on one or both sides.
Oil cans and gas pumps are another piece of the collection that my father and I hunt for.
Antiques associated with gasoline and oil companies is a field centered all around advertising. Companies like Standard Oil, Texaco, Shell, Kendall, and Sinclair competed in the early automobile era for business. Each had its own signature brand and advertisement piece to display their service. Rows of oil cans span long shelves in the back section of the garage.