I picked up this Hood sign recently from a reputable seller (not feebay) who found it several years ago still in the box wrapped in paper. At the time I bought it I noticed the makers mark but didn't look close enough to see the date. It was made by Scioto Signs in 1976, seven years after Hood closed their production plant in Watertown, Mass in 1969. It is a tin tacker, not the older stamped steel version that is self framing like a lot of their signs were. After seeing the date it was made I became skeptical about the sign but I have not seen another like it so if it was produced as a fantasy sign you would think there would be more floating around. If by some chance the Hood trademark name had been licensed to another manufacturer after closing it's doors I guess it is possible some of these newer signs were made for a ligit company selling tires with the Hood brand but I can't find any information to attest to that. Does anyone out there know anything about this sign? If it is a fantasy repro I don't want to keep it but I guess I am hoping by some miracle that it is real and can add it to the collection. I am not blaming the seller, he sold it to me in good faith and has insisted that he refund my money until we know for sure or I am satisfied with it. This is why I rarely buy signs.....Thanks, Gary
My guess is it's a fantasy sign and as their website says " Scioto Signs is a custom screen-printer and fabricator, we are able to print and produce signage out of a large variety of substrates including… "
http://www.sciotosigns.com/Indoor/other_signs.aspI would call the company and see if they can answer your question.
Mike I did write to Scioti and asked if they could give me some info on it but to date haven't gotten a reply. In looking through their website they also make signs for a number of oem's so I guess it could have been either way. Thanks.
Im pretty sure I have a sign like that floating around. If I can dig it up, Ill check my date and get a picture.
Quite the interesting company, and in Ohio, U.S.A. I read about their capabilities on their website, and they can create metal signs that are embossed and with stamped self-framing, among all sorts of other things. John
heavy steel embossed with no makers mark. Im quite sure this is authentic piece
Very interesting it has that green back. You would not think a reproduction would have that.
I think Jim's sign with the green back illustrates an original, while Gary's appears to be a reproduction IMO.
Darin
I agree with Darin. That green, streaked or mottled look on the back is pretty typical of a lot of original metal signs. Joe
My sign is definitely original. It always felt to me like a late 50's 60s sign. Although I remember when the Bi-centennial was getting nearer,there was lots of red white and. Lie themed advertising around. Gary. Let's see a picture of the back of your sign. Scioto made quite a few re-issues (soda flanges,Pepsi caps,etc)but I didn't think they made repops for the collector market (they may have)way back in the 70s.
You have to be careful with Stout signs also. They made a lot of originals but they also made repops later on. You see a lot of people paying $2-300 on ebay for pepsi bottlecap signs just because they're marked Stout (which the sellers love to emphasize). The white painted back (among other things) should be a big red flag.
I have no doubt that your sign is the real deal Jim. I know that all of the others I have seen including another version I have are the stamped/embossed variety. However, my embossed one doesn't have a makers mark either. Here is the back of the one in question. It does have a green back, for whatever that is worth. It is a lot glossier than Jims but then it is a new sign. Also, I agree with Jim in thinking that the sign companies like Scioto weren't really churning out repops for the market in the 70's like a lot of them do now simply because it was before the internet and the demand there is now. I got a check this week for the refund on this one but I am leaning towards just hanging it up and keeping it. I gave a little too much for it but hey, it's not the first time I've done that and for sure won't be the last....Thanks for all the input, I appreciate it.
Sign companies were definitely reproducing signs before the internet. For example, the Ande Rooney company was started around 1980 with its primary product being repops. I recall reading somewhere that one of the early target customers in the 1970s were restaurants that were looking to decorate with vintage style advertising. Of course that doesn't mean that Scioto had entered this market. Joe
How long has Scioto been making signs? I am currently looking at buying a shell sign thats made by them. It is about the same size and shape as a quaker state tombstone sign and double sided. It is blue with an X 100 oil can on it and says Here! on it. ive never seen one befor and now am curious if its a fantasy piece or original. It has the look of a 50s sign but no date. i can try to get a pic
Here's a link that briefly describes the company history (founded in 1897):
http://sciotosigns.com/about.aspJoe
I don't have a horse in this race, but from the start, I haven't understood why someone doesn't just call the company to get more information about these signs in question. After all, they're located in the U.S., and likely even have an 800#. Certainly, someone there has been around long enough to have the answers. I can't imagine why they would not be cooperative. What better way to get these "is it real or repro" questions answered definitively? Now, if we could just that about all the other signs we have doubts about! John
I did call them but a gal of 25 years there said she didnt remember the shell sign and refered me to a guy who was there longer. he never returned my call. they arent very helpful there.
John, I used to just pick up the phone and call on just about anything, like you said it's a lot better to just talk to someone. However, it's gotten to the point that I get tired of either getting a service or some person answering the phone who will always know little or nothing and you get the " I'll have someone call you" answer and then nothing. Nowadays if you don't communicate by email you seem to get ignored by the majority of places. I directed my email to the company president who,according to their info, is a family member who has been there forever. You would think you could at least get a reply of "Sorry, can't help you", at the very least but.......
My apologies, Les and Gary. You two were way ahead of me on this. I should have know that! Thanks for being so cordial in your replies.
I agree with your points that personal service does seem non-existent at many businesses these days. I regard what we get on the phone, or even email, at many places these days as "customer non-service". However, it always surprises me a bit when the service is ***** at a smaller or even medium-sized company. Heck, better and more personal service is one way these small outfits can differentiate themselves and out-shine the big boys in their business. Good luck in the search for more specific info on these signs. Best, John
Update on the company info! I Just DID recieve a call from Shawn, who i believe is the company manager. said he has been there almost 50 years and for the last 30 or 40 yrs they dont much stamp the signs anymore. He said that the old stamps had scoito canton O on them NOT Oh! so that was about the only givaway pointer he had for me. To his knowledge they NEVER made any porcelain signs!! as for a log of signs theyve made he said all he could do is go to old rollodex card files and see who orderd signs and that there werent any pics for refference. I asked him about people wanting him to repro signs and he said,,,, quite a few have but he wouldnt copy anyone elses signs so they move on. especially he said if they wanted another manufactuers name on the sign! It was nice to see he has integrity!! So nope he didnt recall ever making the shell sign as it would have been before his time there. I was pleased with his time he spent answering questions and he was very sorry it took so long to reply to me. Guess we just need to be more patient sometimes........... Hope any of this will help!
That’s great that you got a call Les. Like you said patience is usually a virtue and this issue isn’t of grave importance to busy people. After reading your post i am still a little confused though. Does the fact that the stamped signs would have only had a Canton mark on them mean they didn’t make the tin tacker like mine with a Kenton, OH Mark? I’m still not sure why a copied sign would have a Scioto mark and especially a date on it. It sounds like if they did make the Hood signs it would’ve been for a company that was the owner of that name or had the rights to it. I have been doing a little more detailed reading on Hood and even though the Watertown plant closed in ‘69 I haven’t found where all tire sales ended then. Guess they could’ve had other plants that made tires after that, even if they contracted them made. I’m going to keep digging. I talked to another Oldgasser last week who has one of the same signs and he is as curious as I am as to it’s origin and authenticity or lack thereof. The more we talk about it the more intrigued I become! Oh and John, I took absolutely no offense to your post. Great discussion.
Les, after reading your post again I think I took the part about stamped wrong. Did you mean they stopped stamping them with their name and date? I was thinking you meant a stamped/embossed type sign for some reason....
It was the stamped name. He said he didnt remember them dating the signs but maybe before he was there. That may also be a hint on repros as hes been there a long time and iff its a 1975 date well probly not real. He also said most signs are ordered by distributors and not the individual manufacturer of the product such as goodyear or firestone etc. those are just pulled outa my a>> as he didnt name any specific co. aparently distributors order for many companies. And you are right its Kenton not canton. If yours has an OH insted of just an O he said its not right.
Well I guess the OH on mine is the giveaway then. If it was made in 1976 that would be forty two years ago and sounds like he should know. Whoever made it did a pretty good job except for that mark, down to the green back. Plus, the known originals are embossed. But it’s the little details like the “O” versus the “OH” that’s the giveaway a lot of times. Thanks for the info Les.