Reverse Painted Glass Whiskey Sign, ca. 1890
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GUEST:
It came from an old house that was being torn down, and the people were disposing of this stuff and we picked this one up.
APPRAISER:
So they were just going to throw it out.
GUEST:
They were going to throw it out.
APPRAISER:
What we're looking at is what's called a reverse-painted glass sign. The important thing when you look at antique advertising pieces and almost any pieces, especially reverse-painted glass, condition is a huge factor, and this one overall is really nice. You do have some condition issues in the margins. If you look over here, you can see a little bit of white paint in here, and in this area. That could be a sign of some restoration, where the white disappeared. The interior portion is really nice, and basically what it's advertising is Economy whiskey, and when you read this sign, it's "Established by the Harmony Society in 1827," and what they were doing is they were doing pure rye and malt whiskey, and the Economy distilling company comes from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The other really cool thing about this is this isn't a replaced frame; this is a frame that it came in. And overall, it's very, very highly collectible, great purple coloring in here, silver and gilt paint. The interior center part is in perfect condition. As far as value goes, if I was to have this at auction, I wouldn't hesitate to estimate this between $3,000 and $5,000.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, it's a really nice piece. I'm very glad you brought it to the show today.
GUEST:
Thank you very much.
APPRAISER:
You're very welcome.
GUEST:
Wow.
Appraisal Details
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