The owner, a fan of all things antique, last weekend put up a 1940s-era sign salvaged from a restaurant in New York City.

It's definitely a restorable piece. My name is Howie Cohen, and I run a sign company in Utica, New York, called Just Neon Sign Co., and I've been doing this since 1993. The techniques are the same.

The mortgage banker has become an avid collector of vintage signs and other memorabilia ... Among his collection are also some neon signs that became popular before World War II.