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  • Black outlined inverted triangle on white reading State Trunk Highway, with the numeral 12 and letters W, I, S.
  • Black outlined inverted triangle on white reading State Trunk Highway, with the numeral 12 and letters W, I, S.
  • Black outlined inverted triangle on white reading State Trunk Highway, with the numeral 12 and letters W, I, S.
  • Black outlined inverted triangle on white reading State Trunk Highway, with the numeral 12 and letters W, I, S.
  • Black outlined inverted triangle on white reading State Trunk Highway, with the numeral 12 and letters W, I, S.
  • Black outlined inverted triangle on white reading State Trunk Highway, with the numeral 12 and letters W, I, S.
  • Black outlined inverted triangle on white reading State Trunk Highway, with the numeral 12 and letters W, I, S.
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WIS 12 1919 (Wisconsin) (Road Sign) White Coffee Mug

WIS 12 1919 (Wisconsin) (Road Sign) White Coffee Mug

$17.99 USD
$17.99 USD
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Size

100 in stock

WIS 12 1919 (Wisconsin) (Road Sign) White Coffee Mug

A reproduction of the WIS 12 marker, the route badge that carried Wisconsin State Trunk Highway 12 in the late 1910s.

Visual Elements & Composition

The design is almost entirely white, with black lettering and a black outline. The route badge is an inverted triangle, with the words STATE TRUNK HIGHWAY set above the route number 12 and the state abbreviation WIS. The lettering is flat and blocky, and the badge stands on its own against the open background, so the number reads at once.

Meaning & Symbolism

Wisconsin passed a law in 1917 that created the first signed and numbered state highway system in the United States, and signs began appearing on the state's roads in May 1918. Route 12 was one of the north-south routes in that network, and the badge marks the moment when American drivers first had a numbered system to follow. The route later became U.S. Route 12, so this sign sits at the start of a road history that still runs across the country.

Shaped for the Mug

A mug is turned in the hand, so the badge is seen from more than one side as the cup is lifted and set down. The inverted triangle sits well on the curve of the ceramic, keeping the route number in view as the mug rotates.

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Coffee Mugs & Cups White Coffee Mugs Wisconsin Road Signs
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