'Donuts Cafe' Neon Sign, 1990s USA
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A lovely vintage neon sign that reads Donuts Cafe, perfect for adding a nostalgic touch to your space.
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1990s North American Industrial Signs
Materials
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Cafe Neon Sign
Industrial Vintage Fragment from Retro Cafe Neon Sign
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Super cool galvanized metal fragment from a retro neon sign with hand painted red “Cafe” on it. Clever artisan Nick Benton has added light bulbs where the former neon was housed.
Category
Vintage 1950s American Industrial Wall-mounted Sculptures
Materials
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1930s Double Sided Neon Sign CAFE
Located in Chicago, IL
1930s double sided Neon Sign CAFE. It has new wiring and new transformer.
Category
Vintage 1930s American Signs
Materials
Metal
Original 1950's Route 66 Neon Café Sign
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
An original Route 66 double sided neon CAFE sign in its original paint, circa 1950.
Category
20th Century American Signs
Materials
Tin
1950’s Enamel and Neon Corner Sign Cafe
Located in Chicago, IL
1950’s enamel and neon corner Cafe sign. It has new transformer and wiring.
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Signs
Materials
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1930 Neon Sign 'Cafe'
Located in Surrey, BC
Beautiful small counter top neon sign, refurbished and fully functional. This little beauty was found in Chicago years ago and was recently acquired from a private collection. Thi...
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Vintage 1930s American Machine Age Decorative Art
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1950s Porcelain Neon "Cafe" Sign
Located in Chicago, IL
1950's Porcelain Neon CAFE Sign. New neon and new wiring.
Category
Vintage 1950s American Signs
Materials
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Double Sided Red Neon "Cafe" Sign
Located in Portland, OR
It's always a good time to eat with this vintage Cafe sign.The original paint and construction are all in place, but we've restored the neon to full glory so that it will glow for ma...
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Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Signs
1930's Double Sided Neon Can " CAFE " Sign
Located in Chicago, IL
1930's double sided neon can " CAFE " sign. In working condition.
Category
Vintage 1930s American Industrial Signs
Materials
Steel
1930's Art Deco Hanging Double Sided " Cafe " Can Sign
Located in Chicago, IL
1930's Art Deco double sided neon can " Cafe " sign. The neon in working condition.
Category
Vintage 1930s American Industrial Signs
Materials
Steel
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Finding the Right Signs for You
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.
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