1920s–1930s Illuminated Sanitary Infant Dairy Advertising Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
Vintage illuminated storefront sign manufactured by the Fred E. Gilbert Company for Sanitary Infant Dairy, a Pacific Northwest dairy serving the Tacoma and Puyallup, Washington, area...
Foil
Antique Stewart Horse Clippers Lithographed Tin Advertising Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1910s - 1920s; mfd. by Passaic Metal Ware Co. for Chicago Flexible Shaft Co. - Chicago Antique tin litho advertisement for Stewart Horse Clippers, a line of electric clippers for...
Tin
Antique "Between The Acts" Cigars SSP Advertising Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1910s/1920s; The American Tobacco Co. - Durham, NC Antique single-sided porcelain advertisement for "little cigars". This piece advertises one of the many brands under the Ameri...
Metal
$2,495Sale Price|23% Off
Dubied Italian Tin Advertising Sign
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Dubied Italian tin advertising sign. A fabulous metallic tin in reliefs finely printed by stone lithography for "Dubied" An international knitting-machine maker located in Switzer...
1930s Copper Double-Sided English Outdoor Advertising Sign
Located in Surrey, BC
An electric, double-sided outdoor sign promoting the English clothing manufacturer, Chilprufe Agents (operating between 1920 and 1950). The company’s logo has been reverse painted on...
Copper
Vintage Oversized Copper Goose Bourbon Figural Bottle Advertising Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
Cut from thick board and printed in bold, high-contrast color, the sign features the iconic flying goose graphic over a richly stylized amber bottle illustration, with strong red and...
Wood, Paint
Model of Kissel Gold Bug Speedster, Trade Advertising Sign
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Model of Kissel Gold Bug Speedster, Trade Advertising SignA Car made famous by Amelia Earhart the Kissel Gold Bug Speedster thought of as one of the hottest cars on the road which s...
Plywood
Vintage Critic Quality Feeds Heavy Metal Litho Advertising Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1950s; Beardstown Mills Company - Beardstown, IL Vintage litho livestock feed sign. This piece advertises Critic Quality livestock feeds from Beardstown Mills, a now-defunct flo...
Metal
Antique Vintage Industrial British Railway Station Enamel Advertising Sign
By British Railways
Located in Sale, GB
- An original British Rail sign, circa 1940. - This Midlands Region sign has the inscription 'Rights Of Way Act 1932 The British Transport Commission Hereby Give Notice That This Wa...
Enamel
Vintage Security Feeds Porcelain Advertising Sign by Post Sign Co.
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1940s-1950s; mfd. by Post Sign Co. for Security Mills, Inc. - Knoxville, TN Large porcelain enamel sign for Security Feeds, featuring the brand's distinctive feed sack motif with...
Metal, Enamel
Antique Monochrome 'Hardy' Enamel Shop/Advertising Sign, Early 20Th Century
Located in Bristol, GB
It probably would have originally formed part of a shop sign or a sign advertising a business. Dating from the early 20th century period.
Metal, Enamel
Late 19th Century Reverse-Painted Sylvan Grove Rye Framed Advertising Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1890s; Fleischmann & Co. - Cincinnati, Ohio, United States Antique advertising glass promoting Sylvan Grove Rye, featuring a pastoral outdoor scene with figures gathered beneath ...
Glass, Wood, Paint
Frye "Boot" Advertising Sign For Harvard Square Tannery Shoe Store, ca. 1960s
Located in Peabody, MA
A hangable advertising icon for the Frye Boot Company in the form of an oversized leather boot, circa 1960s. This once hung in the renowned favorite Harvard Square Tannery shoe stor...
Leather, Wood
Large Channel Letter A Circus Lettering Advertising Sign from the the 1960s
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful and decorative large vintage tin channel letter “A” made of sheet metal, painted in a vibrant yellow with red sides. It is dated around the 1960s, though it may be older....
Sheet Metal, Tin
$312Sale Price|40% Off
Old Advertising Sign for Blood Oranges Displaying a Horse, Pottery, Italy, 1920s
Located in Vienna, AT
A decorative advertising sign, made of ceramic, dated around 1920s, made in Italy.
Pottery
"De Laval" Tin Advertising Sign, American, circa 1905, Near Mint
Located in Incline Village, NV
*Note: See other outstanding tin advertising signs I have for sale. Note: I am a second generation antiques dealer and have been in business for 50 years; I am also a member of seve...
Tin
$1,325Sale Price|20% Off
Mid 20th Century Kodak English Advertising Enamel Sign For Train Rides
Located in Crespières, FR
This antique Kodak advertising sign is made of thick enamel in black, yellow and red colours.
Metal
$605Sale Price|20% Off
Large Enamel Sign Hunter Cigarettes Advertising Plate Retro
Located in Poperinge, BE
Beautiful large enamel sign, advertising sign for Hunter Virginia cigarettes, an American cigarette brand, cool retro advertising, reissue of a vintage enamel sign from around the 19...
Metal, Enamel
Italian Pirelli Wrought Iron Advertising Trade Sign 1920
Located in Hastings, GB
Absolutely incredible advertising sign for an Italian garage, blacksmith made in forged and ornate wrought Iron.
Wrought Iron
Antique "Le Roy Little" Cigar Advertising Tin Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
Miller & Sons - New York, NY Color lithographed tin advertising sign promoting Le Roy Little Cigars, featuring a finely dressed gentleman in a broad-brimmed sombrero smoking a c...
Tin
Large Early 20th Century American Usg Sheetrock Advertising Porcelain Sign
Located in Forney, TX
A scarce antique, circa 1920s /1930s, USG (United States Gypsum) porcelain enameled advertising sign, early 20th century, industrial American Art Deco Modern taste.
Metal, Enamel
Antique 1900s Reis Men's Underwear Clothing Advertising Framed Paper Sign Poster
Located in San Diego, CA
Rare Reis of New York men's underwear printed advertising sign/poster dating from the early 1900's.
Paper
"In The Shade of The Old Apple Tree" Tin Advertising Sign, American, circa 1906
By Charles Shonk Company
Located in Incline Village, NV
Outstanding example of this iconic and highly sought after tin advertising sign made by the Shonk Company, Chicago, Illinois, circa 1906.
Tin
Vintage Tin Birchola Flange Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - Scranton, PA Vintage double-sided soda advertising sign. This sign advertises Birchola, a birch beer soda similar manufactured in Scranton.
Tin
Early 1900s J.R. Beiersdorf & Co. Advertising Tin Sign with Rolled Edges
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - Chicago, IL Pressed tin advertising sign with scalloped octagonal form and original hanging chain, promoting J.R.
Tin
1930s Original Gilbeys Invalid Port Enamel Advertising Pub Garden Bar Sign
Located in Sherborne, Dorset
For sale we have a very striking, original 1930s/40s advertising sign in red and white enamel on black-ground for ‘Gilbey’s Invalid Port’.
Metal, Enamel
Antique Crawford Shoe ROG Lighted Flashing Sign Display
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - Brockton, MA Illuminated countertop advertising sign for The Crawford Shoe, featuring the brand's iconic gentleman-and-dog graphic rendered on a glass panel within an ornate gil...
Brass
Vintage Ruchti Bros SSP Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
This sign appears to be an early sign for Ruchti as later signs included text advertising their specialty "Baby Beef".
Metal
Antique Regalos Cigars Double-Sided Tin Flange Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - Savannah, GA Antique tin litho cigar flange advertising sign. This piece advertises superior cigars (regalos, a word that translates to "bonus" or "gift" is often used in regar...
Tin
American Folk Art Wood and Iron Farm Bureau Weathervane Advertising Sign
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Great looking cartoon Midwestern Americana weathervane. Farm Bureau Insurance started in 1921. This great piece most likely was a premium or advertising piece. Hand painted wood with...
Iron
Vintage Eskimo Pie Framed Tin Litho Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1940s/1950s; Eskimo Pie Corporation - Richmond, VA A bold tin advertising sign for Eskimo Pie ice cream bars. The design features large block lettering in red, white, and blue ag...
Tin
Vintage 1970's Frye Boot Light Up Sales Sign
By Neon Products
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A vintage light up Frye Boot advertising sign from the 1970's with aluminum frame surrounding a dark plastic face.
Aluminum
Early 20th Century Framed Reverse-Painted Waltham Watches Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - Waltham, MA Vintage reverse painted glass advertising sign for Waltham pocket watches. This piece features reverse graphics on a glass panel, beneath which gold leaf has been a...
Glass, Wood, Paint
A. Frost Plumbing Heating and Roofing Iron Double Sided Hand Lettered Sign
Located in New Windsor, NY
Hand painted and lettered double sided metal shaped advertising sign. Gold lettering, black background with red edging.
Iron, Tin
$1,704Sale Price|20% Off
Elizabeth Arden Vintage Wooden Signs
Located in Milano, IT
Rare advertising sign of Elizabeth Arden, an entrepreneur who founded, in that name, her cosmetics company, dating from the 1950s, taken from the Lake Como store of her own.
Aluminum
Vintage West Nebraska Express (WNX) Railroad Painted Tin Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
Painted tin advertising sign for WNX (West Nebraska Express), featuring bold block lettering in orange set against a deep green field, flanked by a stylized arrow motif stretching ho...
Tin
Antique National Stoves and Ranges Rounded Porcelain Corner Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - Quincy, IL Rounded, single-sided porcelain advertising sign. This piece advertises National, a manufacturer or stoves and range ovens under the banner of Excelsior.
Steel
Abbott Pharmaceutical Prescriptions Reverse Glass Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1930s-1940s; Abbott Laboratories - Chicago, IL Reverse-painted on glass (ROG) advertising sign for Abbott Pharmaceuticals, featuring a bold black field with cream cartouche and r...
Metal
Vintage Cunningham Radio Tubes Double-Sided Litho Flange Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - San Francisco, CA Vintage radio tube flanged advertising sign. This piece advertises RCA-approved radio, or vacuum, tubes manufactured by Cunningham.
Metal
$4,260Sale Price|20% Off
Vintage Elizabeth Arden Signs in Wood and Painted Aluminum
Located in Milano, IT
Rare advertising sign of Elizabeth Arden, an entrepreneur who founded, in that name, her cosmetics company, dating from the 1950s, taken from the Lake Como store of her own.
Aluminum
Vintage "BEER" Reverse Foil Bar Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
Reverse foil on glass advertising sign featuring bold block "BEER" lettering rendered in black over a textured silver foil ground.
Metal
Vintage Wilkinson Sword Hairdresser Heavy Tin Litho Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - London Vintage tin litho hairdresser advertising sign. This piece advertises Wilkinson Sword razors, a previously British-produced line of shaving and grooming supplies.
Tin
c. 1890 Reverse On Glass Gold Leaf Painted Mitchell's Cigarettes Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
This tall turn-of-the-century reverse-painted glass advertising sign features richly rendered gold-leaf lettering promoting Stephen Mitchell & Son's cigarette and tobacco blends.
Glass, Wood
Large Coca Cola Framed Tin Litho Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1940s; mfd. by Robertson-Dualife, Inc. for The Coca-Cola Company - Atlanta, GA Large horizontal Coca-Cola advertising sign with iconic cream script lettering against a vivid red ...
Metal
Original Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Flanged Metal Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
Industrial flanged metal advertising sign for Curtiss-Wright Aircraft featuring the words "AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE" above a stylized illustration of a single-engine monoplane and "...
Metal
Vintage Apex Batteries Embossed Tin Litho Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - Chicago, IL Embossed tin lithograph advertising sign for Apex automobile batteries, featuring bold black lettering against a bright yellow ground with graphic illustration of an...
Tin
Vintage Dixie “Two Coins and It’s Automatic” Laundry Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - United States Painted metal advertising sign in the form of a coin-operated washing machine, reading "Dixie 'Two Coins' And It's Automatic."
Metal
Art Deco White Sewing Machines Lighted Counter Display Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - Cleveland, OH Illuminated countertop advertising sign produced for the White Sewing Machine Company, featuring a reverse-painted glass panel with the iconic White script logo ab...
Metal
Antique Kemp Spreader Single Sided Tin Litho Farm Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - Syracuse, NY Tin‑lithographed advertising sign for "The Original Kemp Manure Spreader," with shaded block lettering on a green field and an oval vignette of a horse‑drawn spread...
Tin
Winchester Museum Tin Lithograph on Cardboard Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - New Haven, CT A tin lithograph advertising sign promoting the Winchester Museum at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming.
Tin
Antique OshKosh B'gosh Single-Sided Porcelain Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1920s-1930s; OshKosh B'Gosh - Oshkosh, WI Single-sided porcelain advertising sign for OshKosh B'Gosh overalls, painted in vivid red, white, and blue.
Tin
Vintage Old Howard (Boston) Painted Wooden Directional Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
Hand-painted wooden advertising sign for "The Old Howard Burlesque at Scollay Sq." featuring stylized black and teal lettering with additional text reading "Dancing Girls," "Comics,"...
Wood, Paint
Distressed Two-Sided Hood’s Ice Cream Sign, Early 20th Century
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A rare and authentic two-sided painted metal advertising sign for Hood’s Ice Cream, displayed in its original iron sidewalk frame.
Metal
Antique NOS Reed Vise Tin on Cardboard Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - Erie, PA Antique new-old-stock tin-over-cardboard (TOC) advertising sign. This piece advertises Reed Mfg. Co., a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of vises and pipe tools, and wh...
Tin
Schenley Reserve Whiskey Self-Framed Tin Litho Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - New York, NY Large self-framed tin lithograph advertising sign for Schenley Reserve Blended Whiskey, featuring a sharply detailed bottle illustration beside the slogan, "Best-ta...
Tin
Early 20th Century Haddon Hall Cigar Lighted Glass Sign Display
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - New York Vintage lighted tabletop tobacciana advertising sign. This piece advertises Haddon Hall cigars, named for the English country home on the banks of the River Rye near B...
Metal
Antique "San Felice" Cigar TOC Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - Detroit, MI Original tin on cardboard (TOC) tobacco advertising sign produced for San Felice Cigars, featuring a richly illustrated scene of a well-dressed gentleman seated in a...
Tin
Vintage Figural Coca-Cola Cooler Directional Arrow Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1940s; mfd. by Kay Displays, Inc. for The Coca-Cola Company - Atlanta, GA Painted tin and metal advertising sign featuring a dimensional Coca-Cola cooler at center, framed within...
Metal
Vintage "Chick Bed" Poultry Litter Chalkboard Store Display Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1940s; Chick Bed Company - Cedar Rapids, IA Double-sided painted masonite advertising sign with integrated chalkboard pricing panel, promoting "Chick Bed - The Perfect Poultry Li...
Masonite, Paint
Vintage “Bicycles New & Used” Double-Sided Hand-Painted Shop Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
Double-sided painted wood advertising sign reading "Bicycles New & Used" in bold black lettering against a cream ground.
Metal
Vintage and antique signs are popular collector’s items loved not only for the charm and pops of color they add to a space but also for the unique story each one has to tell. An interesting sign can help set the mood for a room and spark dozens of lively conversations.
Before and during the 18th century, many European peasants and colonists in the Americas couldn’t read, so shopkeepers, in an effort to promote their goods and services, hung trade signs with limited amounts of text.
Indeed, symbols and representational physical objects comprised early-day advertising efforts. In lieu of painted words on a wooden board, trade signs made use of handmade three-dimensional symbols to indicate the function of the shop. The iconic red, white and blue pole could be found outside barbershops, while a figural trade sign mounted to an apothecary’s storefront might be a mortar and pestle sculpted from bronze in order to indicate to passers-by that inside there were apothecary cabinets full of remedies for common ailments and a druggist to carefully dispense them.
As literacy rates improved, signs evolved into rectangular, round or square shapes that featured text. Short and sweet, early iterations were characterized by a mere few words, such as “tavern,” “boarding room” or “apothecary.”
During the 19th century, proprietors endeavored to render their signs more appealing. This meant the introduction of more color, font types and other pictorial representations. After the Civil War ended, logos, branding and advertising became increasingly more important, and the design of signage evolved. Trade signs were still in use during the 20th century, and you will likely find hand-painted tin eyeglasses for an optometrist’s office or an oversize bowling pin that likely had a home in the front window of a bowling alley.
Today, collectors and art aficionados alike collect and display antique and vintage signs. Old signs hearken back to a long-gone era, infusing any interior with warmth and nostalgia.
A vintage sign can help anchor a room — think of decorating with signs as you would arranging any kind of wall art. A large-scale sign in particular can prove a distinguishing feature in a living room or dining room, a focal point so prominent that it might lessen the burden of introducing any additional decorative elements to this particular space. Smaller signs work wonders too — pepper sparsely decorated corners with small colorful signs or add a humorous or graphic element to your gallery-style hang with a small text-based sign or two.
On 1stDibs, find metal, wood and glass antique and vintage signs that span a number of styles, including mid-century modern, industrial and folk art.
At Waddesdon Manor, artist Joana Vasconcelos has installed a three-tiered patisserie inspired by the narrative tile work of her homeland. We take a look at the cake sculpture and how Portuguese tiles have been used in architecture from the 17th century to today.
The streets of fin-de-siècle Paris were set aglow with colorful poster ads, thanks to the printing techniques invented by Jules Chéret. Now, the Milwaukee Art Museum is celebrating this undersung talent in America's first solo show dedicated his exuberant works.
Expert Jeff Bridgman explains the history and meaning behind the twinkling constellations that have graced Old Glory.
The iconoclastic style setter displayed African and Oceanic art, as well as works by indigenous peoples of the Americas, alongside pieces by such major modernists as Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock.
Perfect for July 4th weekend, a new show at Philadelphia's Museum of the American Revolution displays an array of antique red, white and blue flags.
Designers are beginning to see this enigmatic form of folk art in a whole new light.