Scores From The Last Month

[Ian]

Hey all!

Lets start with this first. Yesturday I got in the mail 6 more route shield signs to add to my collection! I got them all from a swap meet on Long Beach Island, NJ.

Now to the picaroos 

The first one is an I-91 shield from Vermont with the state name on it. This sign is a 1961-spec shield and are getting rarer and rarer all the time outside of Wyoming. Plus this one is in great condition unlike most others. Interstate shields BTW with the state name on them are starting to become more rare as time goes by.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/RoadSignCollection#5340267340983125570

The second one is a Connecticut route 149 shield. Nothing too special, but since we go through CT a whole lot, it has some value.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/RoadSignCollection#5340267376496973218

The third one is a Vermont route 12 shield. Again nothing too special, but what I have to say is it is VT's newer design of its state shields. http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/RoadSignCollection#5340267383770822898

The fourth one is a US 46 shield. This sign was actually never put into service, yet still was in a scrap pile. On the bottom right is printed NJDOT which stands for New Jersey Department of Transportation.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/RoadSignCollection#5340267393369875426
and a closeup of the NJDOT:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/RoadSignCollection#5340267399188016146

The fifth one is personally my favorite: an I-95 shield from Connecticut with the state name on it. The reason I call it my favorite is because I have seen so many signs like this one on my trips to New England. The red part of the sign is badly faded but I like it, a lot, it makes it look nice and weathered which is what I like to see in my signs. On the back is an old ConnDOT (Connecticut Department of Transportation) yellow dating sticker. ConnDOT doesn't put these stickers on their signs anymore so that is pretty cool. But the thing is, the sticker is so badly faded that you can't even read it!
The sign: http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/RoadSignCollection#5340267416096380594
The back w/ the sticker: http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/RoadSignCollection#5340267419272627010

The last one from the swap meet is a Massachusetts route 19 shield. The front of the sign looks very weathered with cracked sheeting, but remember, I like that kind of stuff. On the bottom is printed MASS. D.P.W. (stands for Massachusetts Department of Public Works) which is seen commonly on all MA state signs. On the back there is a sticker on the bottom that reads MASS. D.P.W. WELLESLEY. So what that means is the sign was made in Wellesley, MA. The reason why I like that it says Wellesley, is that my grandparents live there. Apperently Mass DPW must have had some sign shop located in Wellesley so I guess thats what it means!
The sign: http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/RoadSignCollection#5340267351549846706
Closeup of MASS D.P.W.: http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/RoadSignCollection#5340267359040623458
Sticker on the back showing Wellesley: http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/RoadSignCollection#5340267368533808514

The next sign, I didn't get from the swap meet. I got it from the ebay seller lucky_cat_1958. This one is a temporary sign that was used during Boston's "Big Dig" project! It is an I-93 shield that has a square white background common on temporary signs. For those of you who don't know what the Big Dig is, look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig
And here is the sign: http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/RoadSignCollection#5340267321328221506

Now to my last sign of the month. I received this one about 3 weeks ago. What it basically is, is a small welcome to Delaware sign. It is seen at all of the state lines on the minor non-interstate roads.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/RoadSignCollection#5334298137182310226
And on the back of the sign is actually a DelDOT (Delaware Department of Transportation) dating sticker.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/RoadSignCollection#5334298143419152642

Enjoy!
Ian

[Alex]

lucky_cat_1958 is Joe Koehler. I've purchased some decent shields from him over the years and have met him a couple of times.

[Ian]

Yea he has a lot of nice signs.

So what do you guys think of the shields???

[BigMattFromTexas]

I hate you
jk I wish i had more route shields

[ctsignguy]

That I-93 is interesting...I have an Ohio 257 of similar tubed constriction obtained from a local company that does construction and contract sign work...

The idea behind these is that as they are relatively cheap compared to aluminum signs, (and let's face it, aluminum signs take a beating at construction zones, in addition to being stolen by thieves looking to score cheap scrap metal) so any losses for the construction company are minimal with the plastic signs in terms of material lost.

As for Joehler, he does get some interesting stuff...i have purchased quite a few shields off him over the last few years...