Classicus – Here’s a photo of an enamel sign I have. I show it as (a) it’s in the Art Nouveau style, to which you refer, with its colours and scrolls and shows the rounded corners to the triangle of the letter ‘A’ (b) it was for the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland, which used predominantly the letters AC in their logo, as can be seen. The ACGBI received its Royal warrant in 1907, becoming the Royal Automobile Club (RAC), so this sign predates that.
Robin – I started looking into other companies, and societies, that used the letters AC (hence the above), though I’m convinced these badges would have been used, somewhere, by AC Cars. The digging at the hospital retrieved other items not directly military, for example filigree, a ladies brooch, a sewing box, bedpost knobs etc. Old rubbish tips can be a treasure trove of bygones!
Finally, some photos of the AC logo from the period 1911 to early 20’s. The first, Auto-Carrier’s logo, note the hyphen between the ‘A’ and ‘C’ that was carried through. The second is an advert for the AC Fivet, with the third showing the AC logo from that ad, and lastly, the nickel radiator badge of an early 20’s car.
I think these show the badges we have discussed must be linked to AC Cars, but where used and precisely when, I don’t know. All three are made of brass/copper and show no nickel but stippling between the letters, which may be relevant. The one that started the correspondence is shown for comparison.
All the best
