photos of old signs on the internet

[Alex]

Two older regulatory signs in Chickasaw, AL:

[US71]

Blue Island, IL


Urbanette, AR


Jay, OK


Higginsville, MO


Olive Branch, MS


Near Oregon, MO

[jjakucyk]

Here's two old signs I found near the interchange of US-50 Columbia Parkway and Beechmont Avenue.  The first one is on Church Place, which is sort of an offramp from Columbia/Beechmont to Eastern Avenue and northbound Linwood Road OH-561.  I have no clue what the old rusted out sign below the faded Truck Route might be. 



The second sign is the fun one.  It's on a light pole facing westbound Columbia Parkway just south of the interchange.  It looks like an honest to God inverted sign, rather than some bizarre fading situation.  I don't know how it managed to survive this long, especially with those newer signs above it.  The light pole itself was installed in 1962/63 when the highway was extended and this whole interchange was completely reconfigured.  Could it date from then, or possibly be even older?  The concrete retaining wall in the foreground dates from the original 1938 construction of the parkway, but the jersey barriers on the median and opposite side of the road are likely from the early '60s reconstruction.

[agentsteel53]

I do believe that that sign is a Bizarre Fading Situation.  Ohio used the black scotchlite a lot in the 1960s (black under normal light, but retroreflective white) and black scotchlite does fade to that color.

Somewhere I have a photo of a US-27 or 127 shield that looks similar... will have to dig it up!

[Scott5114]

That graffiti is incorrect! This is not the right place for a "561 ENDS" sign!

[jjakucyk]

I do believe that that sign is a Bizarre Fading Situation.  Ohio used the black scotchlite a lot in the 1960s (black under normal light, but retroreflective white) and black scotchlite does fade to that color.

Somewhere I have a photo of a US-27 or 127 shield that looks similar... will have to dig it up!

Eh, I'm not buying it, the colors are too perfectly inverted. 

I saw another of those rusty unintelligible signs at another location while bike riding today, it was an arrow.

[agentsteel53]

here's another with the exact same effect.  White with black legend, just faded funny because that is what black scotchlite does.

[shoptb1]

Here is a photo from 1942 near Goose Creek, SC where I grew up...



More historic photos used to be on SCDOT's website 10 years ago (mostly not signs, though) still accessible through web.archive.org http://web.archive.org/web/19980625054841/www.dot.state.sc.us/RoadDesign/frhistory.htm

Mapmikey

Thanks so much for this link...I thoroughly enjoyed looking through this website...very interesting historical info for SC!

[Ian]

here's another with the exact same effect.  White with black legend, just faded funny because that is what black scotchlite does.

I know where that shield is! Right near my grandparents house! Next time I'm up there I will definetely get a pic!

[Alps]

here's another with the exact same effect.  White with black legend, just faded funny because that is what black scotchlite does.

I know where that shield is! Right near my grandparents house! Next time I'm up there I will definetely get a pic!

Wow, it's really done badly over the past year or two.  Here's what I found back in 2006 or so:
http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/ma/ma_30/e16c.jpg

[bugo]

[Mergingtraffic]

There used to be some old BGSes on the never opened part of the Korean Veterans Expressway in NYC from the 70s.

Anybody have any pics?

[allniter89]

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=207.100

What is the purpose of the red reflectors on the AAA sign? 
Maybe to point out a AAA approved service? 
Great out photos people, I especially enjoyed checking out the vintage autos! 

[jjakucyk]

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=207.100

What is the purpose of the red reflectors on the AAA sign? 
Maybe to point out a AAA approved service? 
Great out photos people, I especially enjoyed checking out the vintage autos! 

I assume you're referring to this photo of mine?



It's an "end of the road" sign, or in this case, it's facing the stem of a "T" intersection that I assume used to go straight through once upon a time.  If it was installed today, I guess it would be one of these:

[ctsignguy]

Dig that funky B-font!  Cool! 

More seriously, that shield dates from the late 60s-early 70s when ODOT put that little unobtrusive dot on its shields  (O-dot...get it?   someone's idea of slipping in a joke, i think)

Looking good for a 30-to-40-year old sign!

[Ian]

Some old signs I shot while on a trip to Cabela's in Hamburg, PA today...

[agentsteel53]

heh, I know exactly where that state-named 78 is.  On old 22 not too far west of Allentown.  I believe I took a photo of it a couple weeks ago, but at night.

[Ian]

heh, I know exactly where that state-named 78 is.  On old 22 not too far west of Allentown.  I believe I took a photo of it a couple weeks ago, but at night.

That's it! You may use it for the gallery if you wish

[bugo]

I found these on Saturday:

[US71]

Must be old 33

[bugo]

Must be old 33

Yes at the Inola semi-interchange.

[corco]

I'm pretty sure in my cross-Texas travels a couple weeks ago I only saw three button copy signs, but they were swell and in Cleburne



Then there was one more further down the 67 bypass for CR 1121

[jjakucyk]

Is button copy all that rare?  It's everywhere along the I-71 corridor here in Cincinnati.  I assume most of it is from the early to mid 1970s when the highway was built, and it's all in fine shape.  There's not much along I-75, which was built in the 50s and 60s, so most of those signs have been replaced.  Is it more of a state by state thing as far as rarity goes? 

[agentsteel53]

Is it more of a state by state thing as far as rarity goes? 

Indeed.  California, it's everywhere.  Same with Ohio.  Good luck finding any in Virginia because they have not used reflectorized text since the glass-cateye era.  There is one sign on I-77 that is button copy, but it refers to exit 1 in WV and was put up by WV (who used button copy heavily). 

I'm trying to think if there was any state that never used discrete reflectors.  Can't think of one offhand.  Even Alaska used to have a pair of signs on highway 2 just north of Fairbanks. 

[Alps]

Is it more of a state by state thing as far as rarity goes? 

Indeed.  California, it's everywhere.  Same with Ohio.  Good luck finding any in Virginia because they have not used reflectorized text since the glass-cateye era.  There is one sign on I-77 that is button copy, but it refers to exit 1 in WV and was put up by WV (who used button copy heavily). 

I'm trying to think if there was any state that never used discrete reflectors.  Can't think of one offhand.  Even Alaska used to have a pair of signs on highway 2 just north of Fairbanks. 

Alaska still does in fact have button copy, near Juneau on AK 7 (and I have a small photo thereof).  Delaware is one state I've never heard of having button copy.