The HMV sign that hung outside D’Amato Records in Valletta for decades before being damaged by a construction crane earlier this year has been restored and returned to the shop.

The iconic perspex sign was smashed overnight in July and taken down for restoration works days later.

A new replica sign costing €5,000 was put up outside the shop in October and on Thursday afternoon the original returned to D’Amato Records – this time to hang indoors on display.

The store’s co-owner Anthony D'Amato said he had been looking forward to this day for six months, with restoration works ongoing since the sign was removed.

"The restoration seems to have gone well and now it’s coming back to where it belongs,” he said, calling the sign’s recent saga a “story of survival”.

D’Amato said that while he was happy to already have a sign hanging outside the shop following the installation of the replica, seeing the original back at the store was "a different story... I’ve been seeing this all my life.”

After being removed in July, the original sign was taken to the workshop of restoration company Prevarti at the Mosta Technopark to be restored to its former glory by a team of four.

Co-owner Anthony D'Amato (L) said he had been looking forward to its return for months. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

Prevarti founder Pierre Bugeja said it was “exciting to bring it back”, noting the damaged sign needed “a lot of work”.

First, the company documented the state of the sign before sending samples of the original perspex to a Heritage Malta lab to find out the exact type of material used, he explained.

Computer imaging was used to plan the restoration, with replacement pieces cut by laser and finished and installed by hand.

But with efforts to locate an exact match to the original perspex proving futile, Prevarti decided to use a semi-transparent alternative that lets viewers see where the damage took place.

Damage to the sign was repaired - while remaining visible to visitors. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

“We wanted to tell a story,” said Bugeja, explaining such methods were referred to as “neutral integration” within restoration circles. He added that a report of the restoration would soon be handed to the owners.

“It has become a part of us now; every time we come to Valletta we will come and see it,” he said.