http://www.FarmCollector.com March 2016 25W
e’re blowing down
the road, headed to Hal
Colliver’s place southwest
of Iowa City to look at his
sign collection. The GPS is chattering
and I’m consulting notes I’ve made
on Hal’s address. When I look up,
it’s pretty clear we’ve reached our
destination. An old saying comes to
mind: You can’t miss it.
3Like spendy hotcakes
it’s not really necessary to qualify “antique” with “collectible.” When it comes to signs, as any knowledgeable collector knows,
These days, any old sign is hot. Doesn’t matter what it’s made of,
doesn’t matter what category it falls into, doesn’t matter whether it’s in good shape. Signs sell like hotcakes – spendy hotcakes.
“They’re very high-priced these days,” Hal says. “They’re
completely out of sight. It’s not about what the sign is worth; it’s about what you want to give for it.” Hal is the enviable guy who
got to the party early. “I guess I started collecting 50 years ago,” he
says. “I was a truck driver and I’d see billboards. I never went by a billboard I didn’t read.”
him a sign declaring, “Enter at own risk.” Prophetic words, those. Then a buddy who worked as a county road maintainer gave
Hal became a sign collector and never looked back. I ask how
many signs he has; I don’t get much of an answer. The more I look around, I realize the question is akin to asking how many stars
shine overhead.
All on display
Porcelain, neon, wood, tin, plastic and glass. Soda, petroleum,
oil, beer, businesses. Livestock breeds, ice cream, tobacco and tav-erns. Feed & seed, restaurants, tires, batteries. Political, municipal
and just plain directional: No sign is turned away from Hal’s col-lection. “Once in a while I end up with a duplicate,” he says. “I sell
those, but that doesn’t happen much anymore.”http://www.FarmCollector.com March 2016 25- Internal lighting makes these signs glow at dusk.
- Signs from highways and airports, the King Ranch in
Texas and the Central Cafe in Keota, Iowa, are displayed cheek-to-jowl on this old barn. - Hal Colliver, with a fraction of his collection.
4.Pete’s. Vortex ethyl sold for 24.9 cents a gallon at Hoosier - The view from the road. Hal Colliver has created
a jaw-dropping display of wall signs and pedestal signs at his rural Iowa home.