Measuring in at just shy of 1m in diameter, this large, vibrant double-sided enamel sign for Caltex (a petrol company) is a real statement piece of automobilia. Caltex began in 1936 as the California Texas Oil Company, a joint venture between the Texas Company (later named Texaco) and Standard Oil of California... The similarities between Caltex's logo seen here and Texaco's logo from the same period are very apparent, though there is something very striking in the simplicity of this design. 

 

This is the first design of Caltex's logo which was used from the company's formation in 1936 until 1947 which helps to pinpoint the age of the sign to the 1940s. This particular example was produced by the French enamelers Vitracier Nehaus - a well established company that produced top quality enamel signage for a range of major brands from Citroen to Martini, Castrol to Pepsi. As would be expected this piece has a good, thick base layer, retains bright colours and a decent gloss. One side has remained brighter than the other (see the difference between the first and second photos) with the 'lesser' side being a bit more yellowed and with more surface scratching. There are a few holes through the sign (I suspect the result of some air rifle practice) - the largest goes through the centre and there are five smaller ones scattered over the rest of the piece, each of these are obviously visible on both sides and have a small amount of enamel loss around them. There are a couple of other small areas of loss and a few surface scratches to both sides. In my opinion, the damage adds to the character of the piece and doesn't impact the legibility of the impact of the graphics. 

 

The sign measures 99.5cm in diameter and can be hung from it's original mounting holes.