There has always been a hot topic of debate regarding the reproduction of antiques in general. While some companies reproduce antiques for the sole purpose of deceiving the purchaser, most manufacturers produce them to meet a demand for a high quality product with an antique appearance.
When it comes to porcelain signs, the topic can get extremely heated. Collectors of these items are passionate about their collections and often despise the idea of anyone reproducing the items they treasure.
The problem here lies mainly with the sellers. The manufacturers are usually honest business people. They simply see a desire for a product and do their best to fill that need. They can create fabulous recreations and most label and date them accordingly. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous sellers choose to “modify” the items in an attempt to create an antique and deceive inexperienced buyers and reap large profits in the process.
Antique reproductions have always been a part of the marketplace. When business people see a demand for a particular style of product, they typically rush to production with the goal of meeting that demand. Legitimate antiques are in limited supply so the natural progression is for companies to produce reproductions in order to meet the demand for a particular look. In some cases, reproductions are of such high quality, they command substantial prices. Those reproductions are created in an attempt to become the collectible antiques of the future. In some cases, they are even produced in limited quantity and numbered accordingly to create a higher long term collectible value.
Why would someone choose a reproduction porcelain sign over an authentic antique sign? The bottom line is price. In most instances, a reproduction sign can be had for a fraction of an antique. If your collection is missing a highly sought after sign, and you have the opportunity to purchase a reproduction which is incredibly close to the original, why not? Of course it’s not the antique but in the meantime, that reproduction will fill the hole nicely. When you do find your original, you can replace the reproduction sign with your newly found treasure. In some cases, that reproduction looks so much like the original, the only person who knows is you.
Reproduction porcelain signs today are produced mainly overseas. Countries like China and India are some of the largest producers. Most of the companies which produced porcelain signage in the United States have long since gone out of business or ventured into other areas of the signage market. Although most reproduction porcelain signs are produced overseas, they bear a striking resemblance to the original signs.
We create a line of high quality porcelain signs. Each is produced as close to the original design as possible. All signs are also permanently labeled and dated with the year of production.
