Custom Antique Brass Address Sign | Art Deco House Plaque | Family Name Crest

The Sign

An eagle with its wings spread stands at the crown, and two laurel branches curve up from the lower corners to meet beneath it. A ribbon banner crosses the foot. Three lines: the number large in the middle, the street below it, and the year on the banner.

Eagle and laurel is the plainest piece of American formality there is. On a brick pier it reads as a date rather than as decoration.

Craftsmanship

Grown in real copper and brass over a sculpted form. The detail sits at more than one height, 2 to 5 mm off the ground, so the face is modeled rather than flat, and the plate is 8 to 10 mm thick and solid through.

Readable from the road

The number is set far larger than the lines beneath it, so the plate works at two distances: the number from the pavement, the rest once someone is at the step. Raised brass over a ground left dark reads as contrast rather than as shape, and contrast is what carries in flat light.

Built for outside

Sealed under a UV-protective finish once the patina is on. Sun, rain and frost leave the color where it is, and there is no steel in the body to rust and streak the wall.

Personalization

Three lines are yours: the number, the street, and the short line at the foot. Most people put the year the house was built there; the year you moved in works just as well. Send them exactly as you want them set, suffixes included. A design preview comes back by email before anything is made.

Specifications

• Material: electroformed copper and brass over a solid sculpted core
• Finish: raised antique brass on a blackened ground
• Thickness: 0.3 to 0.4 in (8 to 10 mm), solid through
• Relief: raised detail stands 0.1 to 0.2 in (2 to 5 mm) proud of the ground, at more than one height across the design
• Shape: shaped plate with an eagle crest, laurel sides and a banner at the foot
• Sizes: eleven, from 6 x 4 to 10 x 10 inches, height x width
• UV-protected and weather-treated for outdoor use
• Made to order in our own workshop

A number and a short street sit comfortably at 7 x 5. Add the banner line, or a street longer than about fourteen characters, and 8 x 6 is the place to start.

Mounting

Three ways, chosen at checkout.

• Keyhole slots: two screws into the wall, and it lifts off if you ever repaint behind it.
• Peel-and-stick tape: sealed strips already applied to the back. No drilling, which suits render, tile or a rented house. Needs a smooth, clean, dry surface.
• Floating stud mount: threaded studs on reinforced bosses that hold the plate clear of the wall. Best on brick, stone and shingle, where a flush fixing never sits true.

Hardware and instructions are included with all three.

Where it works

A brick gatepost, a painted portico, either side of a panelled front door. It suits a symmetrical front, where the eagle can sit on the centre line.

Care

Wipe clean. Avoid harsh cleaners.