A couple of weeks ago I bought an old San Francisco street sign at an antique store-- black letters on white with a smaller metal plate riveted to the top showing the block number. It differs in appearance from the current street signs in the city. The font is different, the letters are pretty deeply embossed (much like the letters on a license plate) and the corners of the sign are more rounded. Also, the sign is not reflectorized like most modern street signs are (I seem to recall SF’s current signs are reflectorized, but I’m not sure and I don’t live there.) And since it’s embossed, it is only readable on one side… I guess they made them in pairs and mounted them back to back. There are holes on the ends that would be good for riveting the signs back to back.
So my question is: Does anyone recall when SF’s street markers looked like this? I’m guessing this sign is at least 20 years old, but my estimation is only based on the fact that I collect license plates, and many states began reflectorizing their plates around that time, and maybe reflectorized street signs became the norm at around the same time. I know they’re not much older than 50 years old because I’ve seen WWII-era pictures of street signs that were white on black and a lot smaller. I’m hoping some longtime San Francisco resident will recall when the city replaced all the signs.