A VARIETY of vintage and antique signs will be going under the hammer as part of a “special one-off event” at a Colchester auction house.

Reeman Dansie in Severalls Business Park will be selling the huge array of signs as part of an online timed auction sale ending at 9pm on Sunday, February 4.

The 'Sign of the Times' auction consists of 131 lots in total, each spanning various genres and periods.

Gazette: Reeman Dansie in ColchesterReeman Dansie in Colchester (Image: Newsquest)

Tom Flatt from Reeman Dansie said: “They’ve nearly all come from a collector in Essex who has collected them over the last 30 to 40 years.

“Street signs like this just used to be chucked away and things like enamel signs ended up being re-used as fence panels and roof tiles, so that is how lots turn up.

Gazette: Old - there are 131 signs up for saleOld - there are 131 signs up for sale (Image: Newsquest)

“And nowadays they are worth money.”

The collection encompasses many genres, from cast iron street signs to London Transport signs and enamel advertising signs.

Gazette: Collection - there is a huge variety of vintage signs going under the hammerCollection - there is a huge variety of vintage signs going under the hammer (Image: Newsquest)

Some of the highlights include a 1960s Monte Carlo Casino sign which could fetch up to £500 and the original Bow Road London Underground sign which is estimated to make between £600 to £1,000.

There is also interest for local collectors in a vintage Suffolk Police sign as well as the Daniell and Sons sign, a brewery which was founded in Colchester in 1866.

Gazette: Classic - an old Daniell and Sons signClassic - an old Daniell and Sons sign (Image: Newsquest)

“I think people love them because of the nostalgia they bring,” said Mr Flatt.

“The older generation enjoy seeing them, my mum remembers Lyons Cakes shops all over London in the 60s.

Gazette: Vintage - an old underground sign for Bow RoadVintage - an old underground sign for Bow Road (Image: Newsquest)

“There are other iconic brands like Liptons and Brooke Bond tea, and old railway signs too.

“I think in the modern world full of so much going on they like to have things around them that remind them of simpler times.”

Gazette: Delicious - an old sign for Brooke Bond TeaDelicious - an old sign for Brooke Bond Tea (Image: Newsquest)

Reeman Dansie’s first auction took place in at its Headgate premises in 1881, which was purpose built by founder Charles Fuller, with the business acquiring its current name in 1929.

It then moved into a larger premises on Severalls Business Park in Colchester back in 2002.

Gazette: Variety - some of the signs are expected to fetch hundredsVariety - some of the signs are expected to fetch hundreds (Image: Newsquest)

The emergence of the internet, however, has made all the difference to the way in which Reeman Dansie now conducts most of its sales.

For the fully illustrated catalogue, visit shorturl.at/dfint.