GOLDEN ENGINE, Marvelously Evocative Old Handcut Brass Stencil spelicans A pretty great object

A pretty great object

and they are otherwise in very good condition

including a few times in fraktur style letters

much in keeping with this one

but I'd guess 1920s or so

GOLDEN ENGINE, Marvelously Evocative Old Handcut Brass Stencil spelicans A pretty great objectI have to imagine this brass stencil was made to stencil GOLDEN ENGINE across the hood or maybe the sides of a race car many years ago, with the small pointing forward triangle over the N signaling full speed ahead! Perfectly executed in upper case italics, and with quite a patina, too. I found this in the Hudson River Valley with a note from the dealer that it had come from a prominent collection, but they didn't say whose. To my eye just about as