October Fall Classic
Lot 1301b:
Description
A great piece of passenger service history: a Chicago & North Western (C&NW) Railway destination sign, likely used on or near a station platform. The sign clearly promotes the “C&NW COMMUTER STREAMLINERS” service and directs traffic “TO CHICAGO” with a bold black arrow, utilizing an appealing late Art Deco or early Mid-Century Modern typeface. This sign is fashioned from heavy-gauge metal utilizing a reflective sheeting material for the background, a technology often employed by railroads and highways post-WWII to increase visibility in low light, making this a highly functional and desirable artifact. The bold, black text is applied over this reflective background, which appears to have originally been a creamy yellow or white. The sign has four mounting holes, two near the top and two near the middle, indicating it was intended for horizontal display. The overall condition shows significant age-appropriate wear, including moderate chipping and flaking of the reflective sheeting, revealing the metal substrate beneath. There are notable areas of rust and discoloration across the field, which is common for outdoor-exposed signage of this era. This loss of surface material does not obscure the clear legibility of the text but provides an attractive, vintage patina. H 6″, W 24″, D 0.125″ See photos.
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