The Windfall Casket Shop neon sign mystery

A rare neon sign exhibited at the State Library has eluded collectors, glass benders and historians, with the only thing known about it being it was hanging on a fence at an antique store in regional Queensland. Can you solve this mystery?

An elusive neon sign believed to originate in the Lockyer Valley or Toowoomba is on exhibition at the State Library of Queensland - curators and historians are calling of information on its origins. Picture: State Library or Queensland.

The origins of a rare neon sign, which has eluded historians, collectors and glass benders, is believed to have come from the Lockyer Valley or even Toowoomba.

But the only information that exists about it is that it was found at a Marburg antique store in 2017.

The sign is part of Neon, an exhibition at the State Library of Queensland which showcases a number of iconic neon signs from the state, such as Stefan’s rainbow and Mr Fourex.

The neon sign, predicted to be made sometime in the 1950s, has four words reading The “Windfall” Casket Shop and was given to Paul Mortimer after he did some work for Scotland Yard Antiques in Marburg in 2017.

The sign maker spotted it hanging on the fence and brought it home to his collection to be restored by glass bender Michael Blazek.

While the history of other neon lights from the collection has been discovered, this particular sign has managed to elude historians, collectors and even Mr Blazek.

Michael Blazek, a glass bender, is one of the collectors showcasing a number of his Queensland neon signs. Picture: State Library of Queensland.

A glass bender by trade, Mr Blazek learnt the craft of heating and softening glass tubes into shapes from his father in the United States, before opening his own neon light store in Brisbane more than 30 years ago.

The intricacies of creating tubes in different shapes and sizes, matched by the different enamels and filled with a type of noble gas - argon or neon, with an electricity passed through is now a dying art.

Mr Blazek said there are only five remaining glass benders in Queensland, with two in Brisbane and three on the Gold Coast.

The glass benders now work to create boutique lights for pubs and nightclubs on request, but also work to maintain existing neon signs - one of the most iconic being the XXXX sign at the XXXX brewery along Milton Rd.

An elusive neon sign believed to originate in the Lockyer Valley or Toowoomba is on exhibition at the State Library of Queensland - curators and historians are calling of information on its origins. Picture: State Library of Queensland.

Neon lights were cultural icons from the 1920s to the end of the 20th century, inspiring lyrics for songs, illuminating city and commercial precincts and glowing up pubs, restaurants and nightclubs.

In 1964 UK singer and actor Petula Clark released the song Downtown which speaks of the nostalgia of bright neon lights giving a glow that brings a joy and delight to a city like no other.

But by the end of that decade, neon was quickly being replaced by other cheaper and less costly materials such as acrylic, and today LED lights have almost entirely phased out the need for neon lights.

While neon signs take their place alongside the nostalgic inventions of the 1900s such as analogue film and vinyl records, the glow of the signs continue to have a special atmosphere and magic about it that has inspired artists, cities skylines, and songs over time.

The free exhibition, Neon, is open until February 9, 2025 at the State Library of Queensland Gallery.

Do you recognise the sign?

An elusive neon sign believed to originate in the Lockyer Valley or Toowoomba is on exhibition at the State Library of Queensland - curators and historians are calling of information on its origins. Picture: State Library or Queensland.

Originally published as The Windfall Casket Shop neon sign mystery