--- ../work/decompile-8eb82bde//net/minecraft/server/TileEntitySign.java	2014-11-30 11:23:30.317220028 +0000
+++ src/main/java/net/minecraft/server/TileEntitySign.java	2014-11-30 11:22:37.521221199 +0000
@@ -20,6 +20,12 @@
 
             nbttagcompound.setString("Text" + (i + 1), s);
         }
+        
+        // CraftBukkit start
+        if (Boolean.getBoolean("convertLegacySigns")) {
+            nbttagcompound.setBoolean("Bukkit.isConverted", true);
+        }
+        // CraftBukkit end
 
         this.i.b(nbttagcompound);
     }
@@ -29,14 +35,27 @@
         super.a(nbttagcompound);
         TileEntitySignCommandListener tileentitysigncommandlistener = new TileEntitySignCommandListener(this);
 
+        // CraftBukkit start - Add an option to convert signs correctly
+        // This is done with a flag instead of all the time because
+        // we have no way to tell whether a sign is from 1.7.10 or 1.8
+        
+        boolean oldSign = Boolean.getBoolean("convertLegacySigns") && !nbttagcompound.getBoolean("Bukkit.isConverted");
+        
         for (int i = 0; i < 4; ++i) {
             String s = nbttagcompound.getString("Text" + (i + 1));
+            
+            if (oldSign) {
+                lines[i] = org.bukkit.craftbukkit.util.CraftChatMessage.fromString(s)[0];
+                continue;
+            }
+            // CraftBukkit end
 
             try {
                 IChatBaseComponent ichatbasecomponent = ChatSerializer.a(s);
 
                 try {
                     this.lines[i] = ChatComponentUtils.filterForDisplay(tileentitysigncommandlistener, ichatbasecomponent, (Entity) null);
+                    if (false) throw new CommandException(null, null); // CraftBukkit - fix decompile error
                 } catch (CommandException commandexception) {
                     this.lines[i] = ichatbasecomponent;
                 }