White Rose Gasoline Dealer Signs

Jan/Feb 2022
Issue #20 Automobilia Resource magazine
Written by Dan Matthews
Photos by Dan Matthews - Please do not duplicate without permission.

The Pretenders:
​White Rose Gasoline Dealer Signs

The White Rose name was conceived in 1890 by National Refining. At first, it was just for stove gas, but by 1905 they began using the name for vehicle gasoline as well. The name was also used by the Canadian Oil Companies Ltd., as early as 1905. By 1962 they had over 3,000 White Rose gasoline stations across Canada and were the largest Canadian owned oil company in Canada. That same year Shell Oil bought the company and it was merged into Shell Canada, and that’s when the service station signs were changed.

Above: The REAL SIGN. 24" Diameter. Valued at $8,000 to $10,000. What to look for: The lettering is neat and the individual letters are not stretched. There are two outer stripes with the outermost being yellow and the 2nd being a thinner red. There is also a thin red band circling the yellow background of the rose. The rose is quite detailed and refined looking. The mounting holes are at 10 and 2.

Above: The PRETENDER! What to look for: The outer stripe is black and the 2nd outer red stripe is missing entirely. The rose is not crisp. The letters look stretched. The mounting holes are at 3, 6, 9 and 12. Value – $200. There are several of these repops on eBay right now trying to pass as a “real” bargain for $600 or more!

You can find a good reproduction sign from 12" to 42" at the well-known store GarageArt.com for $35-$334 
 
Most “pretenders” have color issues – either too dark, too light, or simply wrong.
You can research original sign photos for correct colors at MatthewsTAC.com.

P.S. We keep a few “tells” to ourselves, just in case the crooks start reading this article.
 
Dan Matthews

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