California Freeway Sign, 1986 USA
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Massive statement piece. Great piece of California and transportation ephemera. Stamped 'Property of the State of California 1986' on the reverse side.
Aluminum, Steel
Monumental California Drunk Drivers Highway Sign
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Cool piece of art and California transportation ephemera.
Steel
California ROADSIDE BUSINESS Freeway Sign, 1950s USA
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Stunning piece of California and transportation ephemera. 6 feet long and 2.5 feet high.
Aluminum, Steel
'Adopt a Highway' California Road Sign, 2000s USA
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Fantastic piece of California and transportation ephemera. Stamped 'Property State of California' on the back.
Steel
Large Big Bear Lake California Highway Sign
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Fantastic piece of California ephemera. Over 4 feet wide.
Steel
Unavailable
H 0.5 in W 8 in D 8 in
KEM Weber the Moderne in Southern California, 1920-1941 Monograph with Ephemera
By Harriette Von Breton, David Gebhard
Located in Dallas, TX
KEM Weber University of California Santa Barbara Monograph & Ephemera Difficult to source original copy, including rare handwritten correspondence from/to his wife Erika on her pe...
Paper
Large 'Scenic Route' California Highway Sign
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Fantastic piece of California ephemera. Stamped 'State of California' on the back.
Steel
'Scenic Route' California Highway Sign, USA
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Fantastic piece of California ephemera. Stamped 'Property State of California' on the back.
Steel
Framed 'Scenic Route' California Highway Sign, USA
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Fantastic piece of California ephemera. Stamped 'Property State of California' on the back.
Steel
City of Los Angeles 'Share the Road' Sign
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Great coloring and subject matter. Cool piece of California ephemera.
Steel
Large Sunset Blvd Street Sign
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Fun piece of Los Angeles/California transportation ephemera.
Steel
Tall Architectural Magazine / Newspaper Holders Peter Pepper Products
By Peter Pepper Products
Located in Los Angeles, CA
California design. Form + function. Ephemera holder.
Wood, Masonite
Set of 3 State Park Signs
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Fun piece of California, outdoors/camping ephemera. Good vintage condition.
Steel
Large 'Scenic Route' California Highway Sign
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Fantastic piece of California ephemera. Stamped 'State of California' on the back.
Steel
Vintage Metal Horse Crossing Sign
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Taken from a national park here in California. Great patina to metal. Cool piece of California ephemera.
Steel
California 'Begin' Road Sign
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Stamped 'Property of California' on the back. Great coloring. Cool piece of California transportation ephemera.
Metal
$410,867
H 86.03 in Dm 51.97 in
Extremely Rare Victorian Chandelier of Exceptional Quality and Size by F&C Osler
By F. & C. Osler
Located in Steyning, West sussex
An extremely rare early Victorian 20-light cut-glass silvered mounted chandelier of exceptional quality the baluster thumb and radial cut shaft with lower shaft canopy and draping pa...
Silver Plate
1920's -30's Hand Painted "DRUGS" wood sign
Located in Buffalo, NY
1920's -30's Hand Painted "DRUGS" wood sign ... Great old sign,, Tons of character,, Retains original finish / patina..
Wood, Paint
$34,357
H 6.3 in W 15.75 in D 5.91 in
Fossilised Skull of Prehistoric Marine Reptile the Mosasaur, 70Million Years Ago
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Upper Cretaceous, about 70-65 million years ago (Maastrichtian) Morocco The skull is reconstructed in good proportions with fossil pieces found in a phosphate mine in Morocco. I att...
Bone
$18,003Sale Price|20% Off
H 28.75 in W 15.75 in D 8.67 in
Rare 19th Century Italian Memento Mori Bust / Sculpture Carrara Marble Vanitas
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Masterfully carved Italian Vanitas / Memento Mori bust in solid marble from late 19th century. White Carrara marble skull combined with masterfully carved hood & robes all from...
Carrara Marble
$267,063
H 57 in W 30 in D 31.5 in
One-of-a-kind 1851 Great Exhibition Carved Armchair by Arthur Jones of Dublin
Located in London, GB
*Winner of the 2022 Masterpiece Fair Furniture Highlight* The 1851 Great Exhibition Carved Bog Yew Armchair by Arthur Jones of Dublin Carved entirely from Irish bog yew wood, ...
Upholstery, Yew
Pair of French Antique Cast Brass Belle Epoque Style Andirons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Condition: Original Vintage Condition Materials: Patinated Cast Brass Style: French Antique
Brass
Müller Bar Cabinet in Metal
By Müller Möbelfabrikation
Located in Tilburg, NL
Müller Bar Cabinet in Metal. Germany. Design 1998, current production. Available in every RAL-color. A highlight for your office or your home: The cleverly designed bar cabinet KB 3...
Metal
$17,084Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 69.3 in W 137.8 in D 90.56 in
21st Century Ej Ee Bed Upholstered Velvet Headboard Made in Portugal by Malabar
Located in RIO TINTO, PT
The Postmodernism movement is notoriously difficult to define. So the best way to characterize this elusive art movement is that it’s a reaction against the utopian ideals of moderni...
Cotton, Wood
'COME ON IN' Neon Sign , 1990s USA
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Custom neon sign with aluminum channel cut letters. COME ON IN, lights up with green neon gas. Just under 6 feet long. Welcoming sign and fun piece of art. Glass in great condition....
Aluminum
Venetian Monumental Seated Bird Cage
Located in Queens, NY
Italian Venetian style (20th Cent) octagonal shaped painted and decorated metal and wood bird cage with 8 upholstered seat and back cushions around base. (Franco Zefferelli Collection)
Metal
$61,605Sale Price|20% Off
H 104.34 in W 153.55 in D 19.69 in
Antique Pharmacy Cabinet, Walnut Bookcases and Glass Doors with Sign, '800 Italy
Located in Cuneo, Italy (CN)
Complete antique pharmacy cabinet, with 3 open bookcases on the sides, 1 bookcase with drawers and 2 original doors with glass and enameled mirror sign. Built in the mid-19th century...
Glass, Walnut
$145,000
H 106 in W 66 in D 26 in
Pair of 19th Century French Walnut Library Ladders, Napoleon III Style
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of French (19th Century) walnut library ladders with side railings and steps leading to a top platform (on casters) (attributed to Napoleon III's personal library) (Related item...
Walnut
$527,279 / set
H 114.5 in W 35.5 in D 5 in
19th Century, Monumental Carved Boiserie Panels from Lartington Hall
Located in London, GB
The Lartington hall carved Boiserie panels by Signor Anton Leone Bulletti. A highly important suite of eight carved and patinated wood panels commissioned by Monsignor Thomas Edw...
Wood, Pine
19th Century Silver Plate Epergne and Cruet Service
Located in New Orleans, LA
This elegant silver plate epergne is a rarity in that it also includes a full, cut-glass cruet set. This service’s delicate central basket is elevated above a plateau holding ten fin...
Silver Plate
Neo-Renaissance Period Stone Fireplace, Dated 1534
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
This outstanding Tonnerre stone fireplace is a masterpiece of the first French Renaissance. It was sculpted in 1534, under the reign of King François the 1st for Philippe Merlan (150...
Stone
Monumental Los Angeles 101 Freeway Sign, 1988 USA
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Cool Los Angeles freeway sign retired from the 101 freeway. Made in the the 1980s. This freeway takes you north/ south along the entire west coast of the United States from San Diego...
Steel
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.