"Fish Nation"

Large size and all hand-crafted metal salmon sign. This vintage salmon sign is another one of our recent great finds. The former owner told us how he, about three decades ago, had purchased this unique antique in France. Over the years we have seen and sold all kinds of antiques, but this was only the second time that we had the opportunity to purchase a vintage (or near-antique) fish sign and we were immediately thrilled. Not only because of the extraordinary size, but also because of the rarity, the details and the marvelous colors. This kind of workmanship you simply don't find anymore in this day and age. We have searched the worldwide web and you simply cannot find these sculptural signs anywhere. The aging has made this salmon even more beautiful and realistic, because the crazing of the paint makes it look like you can see its scales. This handcrafted, folk-art-like antique looks like it is made of zinc, but we think it is thick tin. This large salmon will look great in a fish monger's, but it can also be the perfect decoration in the office of a salmon farm, in a fisherman's lodge, in a mancave or in a fishing (gear) shop. It was originally made to hang, either in an open space or up against the wall (as shown in our photos) but with one or two brackets this work of art could also be displayed on a very large desk...

This French large size clock trade sign from the mid-19th century depicts an oversized pocket watch with round bow at the top. Made of zinc, this grey...

Oversized vintage cheeseburger pop art in fiberglass. Likely used as a store display. Hand made in fiberglass and hand painted with great detail. ...

This black and white painted iron perpetual motion object was said to have been used to market the zebra exhibition at the San Antonio Zoo. The zebras...

Vintage 1940's chrome frame building directory sign with beveled glass double panels. This came from the famous Boston (North End) restaurant 'Joe Tecce's' which closed in 2010 after...

Simple, interesting French hairdressing sign.