A large, Diamond Gasoline / Motoroil Enamel Sign

Measuring in at 1.3m wide, this large, double-sided enamel sign is a rare and striking, early piece of American Automobilia.

The sign was produced by the Reliance Advertising Co. of Milwaukee and is likely to date from the 1920s... It's very difficult to find out much information about the Diamond Petroleum Co. but it would seem they primarily operated in Loisville, Kentucky at the start of the 20th century and would've been one of the early adopters of petrol/gasoline production/distribution, from a time where small start-up companies were scattered all over England and America before they were merged into larger corporations during the 1920s-'30s. It would seem that in 1925, the Diamond Petroleum Co. sold out to the larger Sunray Oil Co. - Sunray continued to use the Diamond logo until 1932 when it was rebranded D-X and 'Diamond' was dropped, though the red and cream rhombus background remained... As you would expect for a small brand that ceased to exist by the early 1930s, examples of Diamond's advertising are relatively scarce and even fewer (if any) examples can be found in the UK. The design of the sign is bold and having the word 'Diamond' written in nearly a meter wide really does have impact...

Considering it's nearing a century old, the sign has survived in good condition and the enamel layers are wonderfully thick as expected from an early piece. One side retains a good gloss, though there are patches of enamel loss scattered throughout, most notably around the 'a' and the 's' of gasoline, and the 'm' of motor oil, there's also some enamel loss and discolouration to the upper corners and some discolouration to the far sides of the outer rhombus. The other side has lots of surface scuffing/scratches and the red enamel layers have faded/discoloured, there's slightly less enamel loss to this side, though still some patches scattered around and a dark vertical mark near the left hand edge... It's likely that the sign would've originally hung in a metal framework, but there are some later mounting holes to the upper corners that can be used to hang the sign. Despite these cosmetic flaws, there sign still has a real impact/presence, there's nothing that detracts from the legibility or design of the sign and the maker's mark is still visible - all in all I'd say that the marks etc add to, rather than detract from the character of a piece that's survived nearly a hundred years and travelled across the Atlantic!

The sign measures 130.5cm wide x 91.5cm high and is around 2mm thick.