Schorr Signs timeline, 1928 to now

Dated events only. Each line says whether it is documented (a record or printed source) or inferred (our reading of the evidence).

Before the signs

1928: Schorr Sign Co. listed at 102-08 Roosevelt Av, Queens (Queens directories). Later at 70-12 Roosevelt Av, Woodside (1932) and 68-05 Roosevelt Av, Winfield (1937). Documented.
1944: Nathan Schorr, sign painter and father of Joseph and Herbert, dies. Documented.
1950: the census shows Joseph and Elsie Schorr in their own household; Herbert Schorr, sign painter, with his own business in Queens; Harry D. Sandler, husband of Joseph’s sister, a commercial artist at an art studio. Documented.

March and April 1960, November 1961: 16 designs registered with the Copyright Office. Claimant: Laundesigns. Author of the print: Joseph Schorr. Documented.
May to September 1961: Coin-Op ads show DON’T DYE HERE (© 1960, no signature). Documented.
November 1961 and January 1962: Coin-Op ads show YA BETTER WATCH OUT, a bandaged boy in a beret with a slingshot (© 1960). Never seen in a photograph. Documented.
1961 to 1979: Allan K. Jensen of Audubon, Iowa sells laundromat posters. A competitor, not a copier, on the evidence seen. Ads documented; judgment inferred.
March 1962: SAVE YOUR MONEY (fedora man, HAVE YOU SEEN THE REST OF MY GANG?) in a Coin-Op ad announcing a colour brochure and Booth 111. Documented.
September 1962: TIRED OF PAYING BILLS? figure, probably WE NEVER SLEEP. Inferred.
1962: ad copy describes silk-screened enamel on Marlite, framed in stainless steel. Documented.
January 1963: Uncle Sam, I’VE GOT YOUR NUMBER, in a Scotchcal numbers ad. Not in the register. Documented.
June 1963: move to 67-43 Myrtle Ave, a 3,000 sq ft plant for waterless decals, signs and coin-op dealer aids. Documented.
July 1963: ad tells buyers to order from their distributor. Documented. Inferred: sales moved to distributors.
19 November 1968: Joseph Schorr before the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals; two exit sign designs approved 5 to 0. Documented.
1988 to 1989: the 28 year renewal window passes. No renewals found. Absence documented; public domain status inferred, not legal advice.

1991: Herbert Schorr dies in Florida. Documented.
20 May 2005: Harry D. Sandler dies at 92, Broward County, Florida. Documented.
15 April 2006: Joseph Isaac Schorr dies, Metuchen NJ; buried at Mount Hebron, Flushing. Documented.

5 October 2026: Volk interiors 1954 to 1963 checked, no sign figure found; copyright entries 1954 to 1966 searched, no Volk illustrator named; BSA minutes received.
6 October 2026: Smithsonian NMAH Library reports no holdings; refers to Hagley, Winterthur, Henry Ford and UCSB.
9 October 2026: inquiries sent to Hagley, Winterthur and UCSB.
13 October 2026: schorrsigns.com registered.
18 October 2026: this wiki created from database version 10.