Enamel signs emerged as the jewel in the crown of British advertising in the late Victorian era, commanding public attention for over half a century before technological, economic and social change combined to render them redundant. Of the millions of enamel signs produced between 1880 and 1950 only a few thousand survived. By the early 1960s a few collectors began to rescue them as ornamental items. With the birth of the restored steam railway, some found their way back to original locations, lending ‘authentic’ atmosphere to station platforms, and many industrial museums have followed suit to great effect.