Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Non-Petro Discussions Non-petro Discussion and Showcase Arizona hwy 89

Anyone hear knowledgeable on road signs? I picked this up the other day thinking it was hobby lobby junk…. But after picking it up & checking it out it’s really heavy metal & not thin tin…I’ve tried a bit of research & haven’t found anything, except there were none on EBay!! I’m leaning towards an old original? Anyone help me out with maybe dimensions of an original? If there even is such a thing.

Go to Wikipedia and look up "U.S. Route shield." They give you exact dimensions for the original. Also, most repros put the mounting holes in the wrong places. Yours look correct.

Thanks for the info, but I spent an hour on the site with no luck finding dimensions of an original sign.

From Wikipedia: "The shield was specified with a height of 16 inches (41 cm) and a width of 16.5 inches (42 cm). The surface of the shield was itself in the shape of the shield, that is, the metal was cut out in the shape of the shield. A border of 3⁄8 inch (0.95 cm) formed the outline of the shield, with a crossbar of the same width dividing the crown from the main body of the shield.
The name of the state erecting the shield was displayed 2 inches (5.1 cm) high in the crown, above the crossbar. Immediately below the crossbar were the letters "U S", also 2 inches (5.1 cm) high. Below this was the route number, 5 inches (13 cm) tall. A variant of the shield, intended for city use, measured slightly smaller at 11+23⁄32 by 11+11⁄32 inches (29.8 cm × 28.8 cm)."
This is for the original shields. Wikipedia also includes dimensions and fonts for the 1948, 1961, and 1971 versions.

On the ones I have, there's a faint maker's mark on the back, somewhere in the upper 3rd of the sign. Your sign being heavy and totally embossed, numbers and letters, is a good indication yours is authentic, and early.

There was one on ebay last year that sold for $2300. It's documented on worthpoint, even without an account you should be able to see the pictures and compare. I guess its possible the ebay one is fake, but it sold for good money, so makes you think its legit.

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-retired-arizona-89-route-4649325594