Ghost Letters on Frame.

[Illaveago]

I only noticed these letters when I was lifting my bike out of my garage. It was a bit of a surprise to see some writing as I glanced down. I hadn't noticed them before. At first I thought nothing of it but when my bike was out in the light and could see the remaining sticker I realised that the sticker didn't have any writing on it there. The ghost writing must have been from the glue from a previous sticker!

Is anyone good at Scrabble?

From what I can make out there are 3 letters and perhaps part of a number below. I think they are lower case but not sure. The frame is my Northern Ireland Harry Quinn Viking Severn Valley. The sticker is on the seat tube and is covered by a Viking ship sticker.

It's a bit of a puzzle!

 

[biggs682]

I can see what you mean know, when you mentioned it before I didn't see the ghost writing

 

[annedonnelly]

Isn't it 100 backwards? The "1" is the wrong way round.

 

[Illaveago]

Isn't it 100 backwards? The "1" is the wrong way round.

I think it is part of an "M" which you think is a 1.

 

[midlife]

Is it don as in the end of London and below some digits from a phone number ?

 

[Illaveago]

Is it don as in the end of London and below some digits from a phone number ?

It could be ! I thought that it might have been Londonderry but it would be off centre , unless there were a string of words. Someone thought that it could be the end of kingdom as in UK.

 

[Illaveago]

If I could make out what style of font used might help in deciding whether the last letter was an M or an N.

 

[annedonnelly]

It's an 'M'. You can see part of the upward stroke just past the black smudge.

 

[fossyant]

Blimey, who painted that.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Does look like a G before the D. Hence Kingdom likely. Bad paint over job of original frame as it was originally.

 

[presta]

Back in the 1960s this shop used to be an electrician's called Vick Lewis. If you look at the right angle to catch the light reflecting off the gloss black paint, you can still read the name where the sign writer's paint has created an embossing effect underneath all the subsequent layers of paint.

 

[Illaveago]

The letters are 3 mm tall. I'm not sure if the first letter might be a "b".

 

[Illaveago]

Blimey, who painted that.

It's not paint . It is a vinyl chrome effect sticker which has become wrinkled and torn. It is how the ghost writing has become visible .

 

[Illaveago]

I think I can make out what might be another letter appearing just a bit higher up from the central O.
I am in a bit of a situation ! Do I peel back more of the sticker in the hope that it may reveal more ghost letters ? It might just be that accumulated dirt has allowed the letters to become visible !
I bet after I remove the transfer it will say. "Do not remove !".

 

[Illaveago]

I was just wondering how the frames made by a frame builder might have been finished. Were they bare frames sent to the factory for spraying and final assembly or were they sprayed in house and sent painted with stickers applied ?
It would seem that either a wrong sticker was applied or there was a change in design and the previous one was replaced.