Featured Stone Age Tech piece

Just found this little desk sign produced by IBM somewhere btw the late 40's to early 60's (?)- none of the sellers can nail down a more accurate date range. Believe it was a premium for employers and customers.
Thomas Watson, director of International Business Machines started using it as office signage/motivator somewhere around 1911.
PS-Can anyone out there accurately nail down the production date ?
PSS- As my brain 'matures'() this will have a place of prominence !

 

What does it read under the K? IBM's logo evolved continuously from 1947 on. (That's the year International Business Machines became IBM.) If you post a close-up of the logo, we should be able to place it in one of the following mid-century periods: 1947-1956, 1956-1967, 1967-1972.

https://1000logos.net/ibm-logo/

Debora

 

I'm guessing that's a union printers' "bug" (identification). It too may help establishing a year.

Update: This is from another of the same style ...

 

This guy says his dad got his in the 1970s ...
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/authentic-1970-ibm-think-promotional-1927862738

 

I've only seen Vauxhall written as one word. I'd bet on it being part of Union, NJ and Maybe Maplewood. My mom's sister lived in Union for 50 years or thereabouts; my late father was from Maplewood. Vauxhall Road runs over a mile through union and Vaux Hall house is in Maplewood.

https://www.historicmaplewood.com/vaux-hall/

 

Debora-It's exactly like Roaring's pic-'PRINTED IN U.S.A.' in an oval shape.
Can't find a dang thing abt 'Placo,Plastic Laminating, Corp.' except that they made these little signs for IBM. All I can guess the date by is the Mid-Century ameboid logo shape ?
PS-Placo must have a company history somewhere ? Thanks for the help !

 

Need a good quality close-up of the IBM logo in the "Compliments of IBM Corporation" line. Shot from straight on.

Debora

 

I zoomed-in on it for you and it is the 1947 - 1956 style font.

 

To add a layer, logo use and text use may have different rules. This is from their 1958 annual report using a normal serif type in small caps.

 

Um... I see 1956 - 1967. And, yes, of course. Logos and typography are two distinct things, both specified in a corporate identify manual.

Debra

 

The sign has serifs on the inner part of the M.

 

True. But the downward V of the M ends in a point. Wonder if it's not a corporate typeface in bold rather than a logo. No, the M in Compliments is different than the M in IBM. I would like to see a better quality photograph.

Debora

 

I tracked down a clear image from the internet. It may help with your line of thought until bosko69 fulfills your request.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/780010...how_sold_out_detail=1&ref=nla_listing_details

 

Excellent idea, and here we are (top image shows small horizontal fractures from the old lamination)-

 

It's none of them. Think it might be something the printer came up with. And, truthfully, if I were designing the sign, I wouldn't put a logo there either. But it was an avenue to explore.

Debora

 

This may help. THINK sign hanging in IBM offices c. 1950 according to the internet (and womens' hemlines are correct for that decade.) Not the same typeface to my eye. Whadjathink?

Debora