The Original Metal Sign Co.

What The Original Metal Sign Co. does

The Original Metal Sign Co. is a privately owned UK manufacturer of decorative and vintage-style wall art, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Keighley, West Yorkshire. The company designs, crafts, and hand-finishes its products on-site at a purpose-built factory on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, using finest quality Welsh Steel for metal wall signs and painted MDF with natural jute for wooden signs. UV fast inks are used for colour durability across product formats.

The product portfolio centres on metal wall signs and wooden signs as core offerings, extended across multiple formats including fridge magnets, mugs, coasters, bar runners, mouse mats, magnetic bookmarks, metal danglers, memo pads, and tile art. The catalogue spans 40+ themed collections, including licensed properties (Imperial War Museum WW2 archive, Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit), branded character collections (Highland Crew, Peaky Paws Club, Life After Humans), and niche categories covering motoring, aviation, railways, agriculture, pets, retro advertising, and celebrity icons. A bespoke customisation service supports both consumer personalisation and trade/commercial orders.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model through originalmetalsigns.co.uk, complemented by a dedicated trade/wholesale portal for retailers, pubs, clubs, and commercial buyers. Pricing is unit-based across SKUs, ranging from approximately £2.50 for magnetic bookmarks to £116 for premium/large metal signs, with most items concentrated in the £5-£25 band. Revenue is generated entirely through one-time product sales, with all deliveries restricted to the United Kingdom. The company has 5 employees, no external funding, no parent company, and no institutional investors disclosed.

Name

The Original Metal Sign Co.

Legal name

The Original Metal Sign Company

Website

https://originalmetalsigns.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Original Metal Sign Co. is a privately owned UK manufacturer, founded in 1993, that designs and hand-finishes decorative metal and wooden wall signs at its Keighley factory using Welsh Steel. It sells through its own e-commerce site and a trade/wholesale portal to UK consumers, retailers, and pubs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Keighley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: The company generates revenue through one-time product purchases of metal wall signs, wooden signs, fridge magnets, mugs, coasters, bar runners, mouse mats, magnetic bookmarks, danglers, and tile art. Products are sold at various price points based on size and type.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Original Metal Sign Co. designs, manufactures and sells decorative metal and wooden wall signs and related giftware from its purpose-built factory in Keighley, West Yorkshire. Core products include metal wall signs made from Welsh Steel, painted MDF wooden signs, plus accessories such as fridge magnets, mugs, coasters, bar runners, mouse mats, magnetic bookmarks, tile art and danglers, organised into 40+ themed collections (including licensed Beatrix Potter and Imperial War Museum ranges) and offered with personalisation and bespoke customisation services.

Product overview

The Original Metal Sign Company is a UK-based manufacturer of decorative wall art, offering a diverse portfolio of products centred around metal wall signs and wooden signs as the core offerings. The product line spans multiple formats including fridge magnets, danglers, mugs, coasters, bar runners, mouse mats, magnetic bookmarks, memo pads, and tile art. Themed collections include licensed properties (Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit, Imperial War Museum), branded characters (Highland Crew, Peaky Paws Club, Life After Humans), and diverse categories such as motoring, aviation, railways, pets, drinks, retro advertising, and celebrity icons. The company also offers a bespoke customisation service for trade customers, and personalised signs allowing consumer customisation of text and designs. All products are designed, crafted and hand-finished on-site in Keighley, Yorkshire using Welsh steel and quality materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Metal Wall Signs

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Etsy: Global online marketplace hosting thousands of small sellers of personalised metal signs, vintage décor, and customised gifts. Functions as a competitive channel and aggregator for the same target customer segments, particularly around personalisation and handmade décor.

Broad incumbents

• Not On The High Street: UK curated online marketplace for personalised and handmade gifts from small businesses. Functions as both a competitor and a potential distribution channel for small UK makers of personalised home décor.
• Prezzybox: UK online retailer of personalised and novelty gifts, including signs, mugs, and home décor. Overlaps with the company's personalised home and bar sign category and shares a UK DTC e-commerce model.
• Getting Personal: UK-based personalised gifts and home décor retailer offering a broad catalogue across multiple product categories. Competes for the same UK consumer gift and home décor wallet share, particularly through personalised signage and gifts.
• Firebox: UK-based online retailer of unusual gifts, gadgets, and home décor. Competes for UK consumer discretionary gift and home décor spend, with similar customer personas (gift buyers, hobbyists, home entertainers).

Direct peers

• Desperate Enterprises: US manufacturer of vintage reproduction tin and metal signs, advertising décor, and nostalgic wall art with broad licensed content; closely comparable as a manufacturer and licensor of decorative metal signage.
• Rico Industries: US manufacturer of licensed and novelty signs, flags, and gift products across sports, automotive, and entertainment categories. Comparable as a sign-and-licensed-IP manufacturer serving multiple themes.
• The Metal Sign Company: US-based direct competitor selling vintage-style decorative metal signs, tin signs, and retro wall art for home decor. Highly comparable product positioning, multi-format mix (signs, magnets, mugs), and DTC e-commerce focus.

Regional players

• Presentime: Netherlands-based manufacturer and retailer of decorative metal wall signs with vintage, automotive, and lifestyle themes. Directly comparable product mix serving a different European geography.
• Nostalgic-Art: German manufacturer of nostalgic decorative tin and metal signs featuring retro, music, film, and advertising themes. Directly comparable product category serving a different European geography rather than the UK.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OrigMetalSignCo
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheOriginalMetalSignCo
• Instagraminstagram.com/originalmetalsigns
• Pinterestpinterest.co.uk/originalmetalsi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-original-metal-sign-co1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Original Metal Sign Co.