Vintage Advertising Signs For Fun And Profit

By Bertha Wells


If you have any vintage advertising signs lying around, you have potential profit. You don't even have to call the guys on 'American Pickers'. There are many people who would love to display your signs on the walls of their man caves, retail establishments, or living rooms. A sign in good condition could buy you a vacation to paradise, while even a rusty but still legible example of folk or commercial art is worth something.

Advertising came into its own with the development of cheap printing. Before that, it was limited to hand-painted signs or word of mouth testimonials. Soon advertising was essential to modern business, and it also became part of the fabric of American life. The great winged horse, the tiger in the tank, and the dinosaur logo of early gas companies were beloved by motorists - and their children.

If you are beyond infancy, you probably know many ads, if not by heart than certainly well enough to recognize them when you see or hear them. Many of the creations of an ad agency's talents have become part of all of us: the insurance gecko, the majestic team of horses, the golden arches. People especially love antique reminders of their or their parents' childhoods.

History and memories are evoked by porcelain, metal, neon, or wooden signs. Even rust and dents are OK if the colors are still bright and the message still legible. Products that have not been available for years, once popular bars and restaurants that have gone out of business, portraits of beautiful girls promoting shampoo or soap, or ingredients for Mom's famous apple pie - all of these were depicted on signs that still can be found in shops, yard sales, and online.

Giant gas company logos in porcelain or metal are often seen on the sides of garages, which may also have an early gas pump positioned outside. Oil ads are also popular with mechanics and car enthusiasts. Schoolkids used to post the STP logo on their school notebooks, and children of many generations have loved the flying horse that advertised a brand of gas.

A man cave hardly deserves the name without a Harley Davidson logo on the wall, or a Budweiser poster, or a picture of a hot rod. Some of the best decorations are actual vintage advertising, because their rarity adds to the appeal. A specialty antique sign makes a perfect, one-of-a-kind gift for a friend or family member with a hobby. Atmosphere is all important in a collector's private space, and the perfect touch could be nostalgia from the early days of automobiles, football or baseball, cinema, or almost any other consumer product.

The business world also can benefit from tangible relics of past days, when quality and service were emphasized and customers were often fanatically brand loyal. People waiting for their car to be serviced, their beautician to be free, or their meal to be served can pass the time more pleasantly if there is interesting and memory-evoking signage to peruse. There may be a common theme to the display or it may be random; advertising is a class of its own.

Vintage advertising signs are collectible, eye-catching, and part of the nation's history. They trigger history lessons for the kids, are decorative accents indoors or out, and entertain young and old no matter where they are found.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment