The Hoarde Vintage - www.thehoarde.com

Sellers's Details

LJW ANTIQUES

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Email: [email protected]

https://www.thehoarde.com/dealers/ljw-antiques

Item Details

The Home & Colonial Trading Association was founded in 1885 by the tea buyer Julius C. Drew and his business partner, the grocer John Musker. The headquarters and main shop were at 268 Edgware Road, London. Within three years the company comprised four large ‘stores’ selling a wide range of groceries and provisions, and nine smaller ‘tea shops’ which concentrated on groceries, especially tea.

This double-sided enamel sign would have been from a general grocers that stocked Home & Colonial tea (an "agent for"), rather than from one of their own shops. It would have originally had a 'flanged' metal return at one end allowing it to stick out at a 90 degree angle from the shop front - visible to anyone walking along outside. The flange appears to have been removed fairly early on in the sign's life (even wear / corrosion to both ends of the sign) and two holes drilled in the upper edge allowing it to hang.

The sign is likely to date to around the 1930s. It's survived the decades in reasonable condition though there's some mottling to the green background, some areas of enamel loss - mainly around the outer edges and some rusty discolouration through the white lettering.
Having said all this, the sign displays very well - it's a good punchy piece and the way that it's weathered gives it a very authentic vintage look + feel, the sort that can never really be artificially replicated.

It measures 51cm x 25.5cm

• Period: 1930s
• • Price: £230.00
  • €268 Euro
  • $307 US Dollar
• Location: Kent
• • Dimensions: H: 25.5cm (10.04in)
  • W: 51cm (20.08in)
  • D: 0.2cm (0.08in)