This antique McLellan’s Store sign is a vestige of the early five and dime stores here in the United States. The sign is from the early 1900’s and in original condition. The back panel is porcelain over heavy steel. Its bright orange porcelain with an off white stripe. The sign retains its original glossy finish. All the letters are made of cast aluminum and are bolted through the back of the sign. Originally the letters would have been covered in gold leaf, but now show the signs of wear from outdoor exposure. As you can see in the photos, there are some remnants of the gold leaf on the underside of the letters. These could easily be restored with new gold leaf, which would look amazing. This is authentic sign and a scarce vestige of Americana.
History
The McLellan’s Stores were founded by William Walker McLellan in 1917. Known as Five and Dime stores, they carried a variety of everyday items one need. They had general household items, school supplies, clothing, fabric, cosmetics and non-prescription drugs. You could also find food items like candy and sodas. Some of the larger stores had lunch counters, some of which were segregated in parts of the country. In 1958 the McLellan stores were merged with and converted to the larger McCrory stores chain based in York, Pennsylvania.
PERIOD: Early 20th Century
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States
MATERIALS: Porcelain over steel with attached aluminum letters in gold leaf.
CONDITION: Extremely nice condition with wear consistent with age and use. The porcelain back has its original gloss finish with very minor corner chips. There are traces of the original gold leaf on the letters. View photos for more details.
SIZE
HEIGHT: 12.25 in. (31 cm)
WIDTH: 42 in. (107 cm)
DEPTH: 2.5 in. (6 cm)
WEIGHT: 22 lbs. (10 kg)
