Ivar's sign hoisted out of Puget Sound

Is it a commercial? Or is it a collectible?

An Ivar's sign is hoisted out of Puget Sound Friday. Ivar's President Bob Donegan says that Seattle author Paul Dorpat is writing a book about Ivar Haglund.

In his research, Dorpat found maps of Puget Sound that indicated various locations of possible underwater billboards. Donegan acknowledged rumors of Haglund being a forward thinker and believed submarines to be a viable mode of travel.

These billboards would advertise Ivar's restaurants for such travelers. Divers have been inspecting the sites marked on the rediscovered maps in Haglund's archives and will. And, so far, one site has produced a find.

The billboard will be investigated for authenticity. But Donegan believes the painted metal instead of today's digitally produced billboards, the amount of barnacles and seaweed, rust on the unpainted side of the steel sheet and that a cup of chowder is advertised as only 75 cents are positive indications of a true find. More will be known next week.