My husband and I continue to sell off our lifetime collection of advertising signs and other collectible items we purchased from the UK when we were young and beguiled by the history of vintage and antique advertising items. This vintage sign was purchased approximately 30 years ago. This specific product was only sold during a 5 year period from 1920 to 1925, so this sign is a true antique and is approximately 100 years old! It is in very good shape for its age, and obviously, like many advertising signs in the UK, hung outdoors, hence there is some rusting and color loss, mainly around the edges. Please take a close look at the pictures we posted. This sign measures 24” x 15”.
For reference, I found the following:
This exact sign sold for 150 pounds sterling in 2013 (at that time this sterling was worth about 50% more than the US dollar - so approximately $225).
https://www.gwra.co.uk/auctions/advertising-enamel-sign-venos-lightning-cough-cure-2013may-0349.html
A little History of this product:
Sir William Henry Veno was born William Reynard Varney in 1866 in Castle Douglas. In August 1894, aged just 28 years, he moved to Canada and registered his company Veno's. Whilst there he invented Veno's Lightening Cough Cure in 1920. He sold the company in 1925 to Beecham.
Dr Veno's Lighting Cough Cure was hailed as a miracle cure, although the exact ingredients remained somewhat of a mystery. Today it's sold as Beecham’s Veno’s Expectorant.
William met Mary Pearson whilst abroad and they married and moved back to live in England, where William set up his company, Veno Drug Company Limited, in Manchester on Chester Road.
William was knighted 15th June 1920 and became the Mayor of Altrincham.
Following a scare regarding a growth on his lip which was believed to be cancerous, he offered tens of thousands of pounds for anyone who could find a cure for cancer.
Sadly, in 1933, Sir William was found shot dead in the grounds of his house. A verdict of suicide was given.
VENO'S LIGHTNING COUGH CURE INFORMATION AND DIRECTIONS:
Prepared by the Veno Drug Company, Limited, 53, 55, 57, and 59, CedarStreet,Manchester. Price ls.1,d.per
bottle, containing 23 fluid ounces. On the label stated that:
If it fails no other medicine will ever succeed. It should be used in all cases of Coughs, Colds, Bronchitis, Pleurisy, Sore Throat, Hoarseness, Asthma, Croup, Whooping Cough, Influenza,and Catarrh.
In most cases it should be used with Veno's Lightning Fluid.
Dose.-For an Adult, one teaspoonful; for a Child under ten, half teaspoonful; for an Infant, five or ten drops every two or three hours, during the day only.
Analysis showed that 100 parts by measure contained 7.6 parts of glycerine, 1.6 part by volume of alcohol, a trace of chloroform,0.23 part of aresin,0.2 part of alkaline ash, and 1.1 part of extractive and colouring matter. No alkaloid was present. The resin was not aromatic, and possessed no well-marked characters, but showed some resemblance to the resin of Grindelia robusta; the fluid extract of this drug is prepared with the aid of alkali, and the strongly alkaline nature of the ash found would agree with the presence of fluid extract of grindelia. Positive proof of the presence of the latter could not be obtained; the amount of resin found corresponds to about 7 minims of the fluid extract in 1 fluid ounce.