I recently acquired this 1908 pattern New England Telephone & Telegraph Company flat sign. It is the 18" version. The seller told me it was found in the basement of a general store he bought in Maine in 1969. The sign shows no signs of ever having been mounted to a wall- the grommets are still shiny and show no signs of scratches from nails or screws. I believe it was never used.
That looks awesome! Is that the one that was at the Mailtland show last month? A seller there had a bunch of those type signs, I was looking at one just like that. It looked brand new! It was out of my price range and he was not willing to take less than the asking price. I think he wanted $675.00 for it. I do not recall who the seller was.
Very nice piece, it looks awesome!
Harry-The guy I bought this one off was not a sign or phone collector.
Here is a comparison of the one I sold last year. Compare the pattern of pits on the rear of the sign. Note the similar blue brush stroke along the edge.
The steel grommets ate pristine, it looks as if the sign was never hung