I bought one of these for a fallout shelter that I am "rehabbing" for an older couple. I grew up seeing these all over the place, and by the time that I was a kid, they weren't faded, but they weren't fresh either. These days, the black portion might range from gray to brown to white depending on how long it has been left out there. These signs look very mid-century government contract. I got one of the smaller galvanized steel signs from junkmonstor, You can see how the thing was put together. It probably started out as 18ga sheet metal, was sheared and drilled, and probably three patterns were sprayed on to yield a full sign. There is the slightest amount of overlap, and the overlap was performed correctly so that you can see a slight difference in relief (5 mil or so) between different colors. Again, definitely produced under contract to some particular specification. These look like the real deal. Just like military surplus, they were mass produced but built just well enough to last many decades. junkmonstor mailed the signs just well enough to save from high shipping charges but keep everything intact. I ordered two, and they were individually paper wrapped, then double wrapped, and then put in a final piece of cardboard. There was no warping, there were no bent corners, and there were no scratches. One last thing to add is that I have been writing a nice, clean review, and in the middle of the last paragraph, ebay interrupted my typing and popped up some unprofessional, patronizing modal rectangle that called me a potty mouth. Absurd. So I'll end the review here.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The government according to my research made 1.4 million of these signs. When fallout shelters fell out of favor my guess is that someone bought up thousands of these signs, cheap. Although they are not a rare item they are a piece of history and with the free postage it was an offer I couldn't refuse. After receiving my sign and seeing that it was apparently the real deal (would copies bother with the reflective surface- I don't believe so) I ended up ordering the signs for three of my friends.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I didn't want to order a "distressed" sign with rust put on by a printer, and sealed under glossy clear coat. So I was happy to find the real thing. The sign is just as described. Mine was in perfect condition, although I wouldn't have minded a bit of distressing. The reflective paint makes this and eye catcher.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I bought a fall out shelter sign authentic from the 60s for my father for fathers day. He likes collecting vintage memorabilia and he was so happy when he opened his gift ! It is in nearly perfect condition which is a good thing! I would definitely recommend this item!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I hate to even say this, so damn good, wondering if its a reproduction. Back is that blotchy galvanized front is incredibly nice. Again, I hope its the real one (nothing to conpare to) but once its up nobody notices and, well, who really needs an old rusty one. I really like it. Building its on is old so this really accents like a period piece .
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned