Here’s Part 2 — brace yourself for more heartbreaking losses.  All the photos were taken by me unless it’s mentioned.  By the way, you can advance to earlier posts down at the bottom of the page, just above the brown box.  Or in the brown box, you can select posts by monthly chunks.

Ohio has lost some beauties recently.  The Carl Zipf Lock Shop sign in Columbus had been bent like this since at least 2007:

Then, earlier this year, the sign was replaced with this smaller, modern sign — from Google Street View:

The Maple  Leaf Tavern in Cleveland was a beauty:

It was replaced within the last year and a half with a new sign for the All Stars Ultra Sports Lounge.  I’ll spare you with how ugly it looks.

This one in Lancaster, OH was gorgeous.  It was still there last year but it’s gone now.  In fact, the entire building has been demolished:

 

A little ray of sun — the Karl Mouch sign in Cincinnati was removed this year.  But Tod at the American Sign Museum is working with the family that owned the business.  The sign will probably be restored and then will, most likely, be sold to a collector.  Let’s hope somehow Tod is able to sweet talk the sign into his collection instead.  These Elgin Watch signs were mass-produced and there are only a dozen or so of them still out there.  This is one of the rarer ones with the optional, blade sign attached:

 

Some losses in New Jersey.  This one in Angeloni’s Cedar Gardens Liquor store in Hamilton was removed this year:

This one in Pennsville — gone:

In Jersey City — the business closed decades (?) ago — the sign is gone now:

In Rutherford, NJ — there in 2013 but gone now:

The Colgate Clock in Jersey City has a long history.  This sign was built in 1924 and was based on Colgate’s octagon-shaped soap.  The hour marks and hands were outlined with neon.  The outside of the clock was lit with bulbs.

Then, in 2013, the clock was completely rebuilt (I assume they trashed the original) with LED.  Needless to say, I’m not pleased with the results.  Here’s a photo from Patrick Marella:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pmarella/14845729998/

For those of you who wonder what’s the big deal between neon and LED… Yes, LED is cheaper.  But it’s turning to be not as long-lasting as promised.   Most importantly, it’s crap as you can see here.  The first photo shows the sign when it had neon (glowing, warm, wonderful) and the second photo of what it looks like now (flat, lifeless, blah):

Photo from Steven Kelley:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/yukonblizzard/4482415211/

Photo from J. Alberto Granados Sosa:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wideopencode/15830916525/

Moving on to a couple of losses in Illinois.  In Forest Park — the sign was still there in 2015 but gone now.  I’m hoping a collector got this one since it’s not overly big:

This sign was in Tuscola, IL.  When the motel got a plastic box sign in 2012, the sign was saved and moved across the street and installed at a used car dealer.  We thought the sign had found some love and was safe.  But by 2015, it was gone:

This sign in Kansas City, KS disappeared within the last year or two:

Let’s end this post with one bit of good news fer Chrissakes.  The Sifting Sands Motel sign in Ocean City, NJ is being restored.  Or at least I think it is:

This article says that the sign is being restored as closely as possible to the original colors and look:
http://ocnjdaily.com/sifting-sands-refurbishes-facilities/

I may have one more “Recent Sign News” post in few weeks.  It probably shrinks my “fan base” to write these but I think it’s important to share the bad news.  We need to get organized somehow folks to save what’s left.  There are plenty of wonderful signs still out there but we lose more and more every year, every month.  At this rate, 20 years from now, there will be practically none left.

Happy New Year!

Debra Jane

P.S.  some little roadtrips coming up soon.  There will also be a three-week trip this summer.  Most likely AZ, NM & a little TX.