Modern Vespa

Hi all,
I'm new to this group. I have a couple of original vespa dealer signs I think one is double sided and an original double-sided mobiloil sign. I am looking for advice on specialist auctions for this type of thing as I'm not sure of their value. Any help would be really appreciated. I will post pictures if people want to see them. I just bought a little house in Italy and these signs were left behind in the basement.
Cheers
Dave

Dave,

Welcome. Congrats on the house.

OK..There are a metric shit ton of fake signs. It's an entire industry. But, by all means post some pics. We would love to see them.

There are many vintage Vespa groups on Facebook that you could offer them for sale on. eBay is another option. If you think they are legit watch eBay auctions for some price comparisons.

Good luck.

Watch this.. . dollars to donuts he sold lots of Vespa signs.

Thanks for replying, I will give them a quick clean as they have about 3 inches of dust and dirt on them because the house was derelict for around 20 years and they were just left on the basement floor. I will take some pics tomorrow and post.

https://www.catawiki.com

I gave them a quick clean. I seems I have 3 single sided with two bolted together to make a double sided. 1 double sided and it has an r at the top which the others don't have. The mobiloil sign has numbers on the bottom and is double sided.

More pics

The double sided with the hangers is super cool.

Dig that.

Thankyou, I'm definitely going to keep one for myself. Do you think they are original. I cleaned them up a lot today.

I couldnt hazard a guess based on photos… even if I saw them in person I'd be throwing darts with a blindfold.

Unless you can show provenance, they'll sell at re-pop prices. Fakes have poisoned the market to the point it's all fakes unless you can prove otherwise.

It's true.

I have a friend of a friend that's a pinstriper and vintage sign painter. I paid him 200 to a do a Motovespa sign bc it was about 1/2 the price of the fakes and no chance of getting burned.

And, we'll support local artists and all that..

See video above.

you are in Italy. that's where the experts are for Italian signs.

this guy is an expert in Italian enamel signs
https://www.facebook.com/paolofastboy

this guy has an incredible NOS parts / accessories business for Vespa. He knows this stuff very well.
https://www.facebook.com/michele.iatalese.7

this group has 30,000 members enamel advertising signs
https://www.facebook.com/groups/465028043600880

and if these signs are real it will be much easier to do a transaction there and they sell for more there as well.

Thank you everyone for the help. I really appreciate it. I will definitely contact the people stated and get the signs checked out so I know without doubt if they are real or fake. Fingers crossed

I'd buy a fake sign just to have one as a decoration. It would have to be priced accordingly. Different situation if I had to have the genuine article as a collectible.

Once I know for sure I will come back and let everyone know.

They sell fake ones on ebay all day long. They even fake the chipped enamel and the rusted exposed metal.

I have a fake sign. It's pretty good quality and is a nice touch in the workshop.

I also have an authentic British Vespa sign that my wife found in an antique shop out in the West Country last time she was over.

Hand painted by Johnny Carpenter:

Hi everyone, thank you so much for your help, I really appreciate it.
I promised to update you once I have more news. I took your advice and contacted one of the guys you suggested. Today I met with Michele from Rome, regarding the signs that I found in the abandoned house that I bought in Italy. He was a really lovely man and very knowledgeable and honest. I was lucky enough that every sign I had was original, he could have told me they were fake and I would have been none the wiser. He offered to buy them on the spot for a fair price and we both walked away happy after the obligatory drink at a local bar.
I look forward to doing business with him in the future.

That's fantastic.
Glad to hear it.