Q: We bought this McDonald’s advertising piece at an antiques show for $100 about ten years ago. Did I get a good buy?
A: Speedee, the character with the hamburger face and chef’s hat, made his first appearance in 1948 as a logo for McDonald’s, a little hamburger stand in San Bernardino, California. Founders Richard and Maurice McDonald advertised their “Speedee Service System.” Ray Kroc went into partnership with the brothers in 1955 and opened branches in several cities. He bought out the McDonald brothers in 1961. McDonald’s hamburgers were 15 cents from 1955 until 1968, when the price was raised to 18 cents. Speedee was used as a logo until 1962. This type of round sign has been created in the past twenty years as a “fantasy” item. Value, if it’s a metal sign and old, about $250.
We have the one with two holes and white face too. Is there any value to it?
I have a version of this sign with two differences. Speedee’s face is white not flesh toned. There are only two drill holes at the top and bottom of the sign. The holes fall within the red lines encircling the sign not on the outside of the lines. Is this possibly an original sign?
We agree that a fantasy sign is one that is an adaptation of some old ads or items. The most notable ones are tin baseball player endorsement signs–none of those are original. We do know the round Speedee sign featured last week was copied or created in the 1980s. (The price we gave at the end of last week’s Collector’s Concern relates to any genuine old McDonald’s sign.) So far, we have found no proof an authentic 1960s or earlier Speedee sign like the one we pictured ever existed to be copied. So we think your sign, too, is a fantasy. Does anyone know more–if you do, please help us solve this problem.
As I understand it, a fantasy item is one made to look like it COULD have been produced or authorized by the company advertised but that was, in fact, never made–merely the modern creation of someone unaffiliated with the company in question, sometimes with the intent to defraud. In that respect, this is not a fantasy item, as one of the originals is hanging on my wall.