Vintage Advertising Sign, c. 1900-1930
First National Bank of Gridley, Illinois

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First National Bank of Gridley, Illinois, Advertising Sign

Front of sign (above) and back (below).


First National Bank of Gridley, Illinois, Advertising Sign
Advertising Sign
First National Bank of Gridley, Illinois
Elwood Myers Company, Springfield, Ohio: c. 1900-1930
Paint printed on embossed sheet metal
20 x 13.5 inches
Sold, please inquire as to the availability of similar items.

Embossed rectangular metal advertising sign for the First National Bank of Gridley, Illinois, that appears to have been made for an exterior wall or fence in the vicinity of the bank entrance, since a large arrow with the bank's name points the way. The sign bears the slogan, "The Road to Success, Money in the Bank, Open an Account To-Day, We Pay 3%." The text is in black block letters on a white background, with the word "Bank," in larger red letters, outlined in black.

Gridley is a small rural town in McLean County, in Central Illinois. The closest cities are Bloomington and Peoria. The First National Bank of Gridley has been in existence since at least the 1860s and is still in operation today.

The sign was printed by the Elwood Myers Company of Springfield, Ohio, which had a large factory producing metal signs, advertising novelties and leather novelties.  The company was founded by J. Elwood Myers (1878-1931) and by 1931 had been sold to the W.F. Robertson Steel and Iron Works.

Publication information lower left: The Elwood Myers Co., Springfield, O.

References:

American trade index: descriptive and classified directory of the members of the National Association of Manufacturers. 1917. p. 388. http://books.google.com/books?id=PO0CAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA388 (30 July 2013).

"Clark County, OH. Posted Obituaries for May 1931 thru March 1932." Rootsweb. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohclark/obituary/query024.htm (30 July 2013).