Belle Époque Signs

Original riveted sheet iron shoemakers shop sign. Unique find, France, circa 1800-1850. Traces of red paint visible. Weathered.

A playful early 20th century French painted steel butcher's shop sign in the shape of a pig, and mounted on a custom steel table-top mount. The sign...

Wooden produce sign found in England, circa 1920s. Wood foundation is covered in strips of canvas which have been hand painted by unknown artist.

An early toleware Locksmith's trade sign. A wonderful 19th century gilded metal trade sign, delightfully original & untouched with the perfect patina...

1950s French wall sign for coffee. Great wall decoration in modern style; a sign in bright blue color with a red band and a kind of ribbon with the Jihair ...

An exquisite painted French horse head from the early 20th century. This composition horse head, intended for hanging, features a patchwork of colors. With its robust mane and open mouth, this circa 1930 or earlier horse looks as if it's ready to come to life. This equine sculpture...

Large Art Deco tin advertising sign for bicycles of the Belgian Brand Delta. This Belgian tin sign is dated 1934. It's a lithographic tin store sign - agency display sign - billboard - wall sign - old advertising sign for bikes - bicycles - cycles - wheels of the brand Velos Delta. A black with green and gold sign made from pressed tin - pressed metal with relief. Awesome wall decoration even if you have nothing to do with old or antique bikes...

Decorate a kitchen counter with this important antique rooster. Crafted in France circa 1920 and made of solid iron, the sculpture stands on a rocky base and features wonderful detai...

Superb large scale American 1950s porcelain enameled metal letters, over 24" high, originally used as exterior signage from Chicago. EAT or TEA or ETA or ATE, 3 individual heavy gauges pressed and folded cold-rolled steel letters...

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...

A relic from Boston’s mercantile history and the seafaring trade. This 19th century shop sign displays a fairly detailed replica of a navigator’s octant (or sextant) and the proprietor’s name and street number...

XXL Antique hat maker's trade sign, made in France circa 1900 - 1920. This large sign was used as advertising - eyecatcher on the storefront. A large facade sign - advertising sign in front of the hat shop - hat maker's store - red hat facade sign It's a spectacular XXL red hat - red top hat made of hand- painted and hand-crafted zinc. When you look at the spectacular shape, you see that the brim of the hat is completely curled, so can only be done by an art maker - craftsman. The original metal bracket is no longer with this hat trade sign...