Personalized Address Plaque – Antique Brass Anchor and Rope

The Sign

A shaped plaque with a sculpted anchor standing at the head and a twisted rope running the full way round as a border. The house number fills the center in tall brass numerals, with the street name on a raised band beneath it. Blackened ground, warm brass throughout.

It reads as a coastal house before anyone gets close enough to read the number.

Craftsmanship

Real copper and brass grown over the sculpted form rather than poured into a mold. That matters most on the rope: each turn of the twist keeps its own edge instead of blurring into a raised ridge, which is what happens when this kind of detail is cast. Numerals, rope and anchor are cut at their own heights, between 2 and 5 mm off the ground, and the plaque is 8 to 10 mm thick, solid all the way through.

Readable from the road

The reason this works at a distance has nothing to do with size. Raised brass catches whatever light there is while the ground behind stays dark, so the number is read as contrast rather than as shape. In flat winter light, in headlights, at dusk, it still separates. A flat printed or vinyl number does not.

Built for outside

Sealed under a UV-protective finish once the patina is applied. Salt air, driving rain, full sun on a south wall: none of it fades the color, lifts the finish or bleeds rust down the siding. Nothing to repaint, ever.

Personalization

Two lines are yours: the house number and the street. Send them exactly as you want them set, including any suffix such as 1/2 or A. Long street names are fine; the lettering is sized to suit the name rather than the name shortened to suit the plaque. A design preview comes back by email before anything is made.

Specifications

• Material: electroformed copper and brass over a solid sculpted core
• Finish: raised antique brass on a blackened ground
• Thickness: 0.3 to 0.4 in (8 to 10 mm), solid through
• Relief: raised detail stands 0.1 to 0.2 in (2 to 5 mm) proud of the ground, at more than one height across the design
• Shape: shaped plaque with a sculpted anchor above and a rope border
• Sizes: eleven, from 6 x 4 to 10 x 10 inches, height x width
• UV-protected and weather-treated for outdoor use
• Made to order in our own workshop

A number and a short street name are comfortable at 7 x 5. Streets of more than about fourteen characters want 8 x 6 or larger if the number is to stay dominant.

Mounting

Three ways, chosen at checkout.

• Keyhole slots: two screws into the wall, and it lifts off if you ever repaint behind it.
• Peel-and-stick tape: sealed strips already applied. No drilling, which suits render, tile or a rented house. Needs a smooth, clean, dry surface.
• Floating stud mount: threaded studs on reinforced bosses that hold it clear of the wall. Best on brick, stone and shingle, where a flush fixing never sits true.

Hardware and instructions are included with all three.

Where it works

Beside the front door, on a shingle or clapboard wall, on a gatepost, on a boathouse. It suits gray and blue exteriors particularly, where the blackened ground disappears into the siding and only the brass is left.

Care

Rinse it with clean water if it has been in salt air, and dry it with a soft cloth. No metal polish and nothing abrasive.