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...
"Brookfield Rye" Tin Advertising Sign, American, circa 1901
By The Meek Co.
Located in Incline Village, NV
Beautiful semi-nude woman with translucent negligee, holding a bottle of "Brookfield Rye" whiskey is the focal point of this chromolithographic tin advertising sign, used to promote ...
Tin
"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
"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
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
Vintage "Tampa Straights" Tin Litho Cigar Advertising Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1920s-1930s; San Luis Cigar Company - Tampa, FL Colorful lithographed tin advertising sign promoting "Tampa Straights" cigars, featuring a bold graphic of an open cigar box with ...
Tin
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
Vintage Double-Sided Athol Vises Tin Litho Advertising Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - Athol, MA Double-sided lithographed tin advertising sign promoting Athol vises manufactured by the Athol Machine & Foundry Company of Athol, Massachusetts.
Tin
Antique Ames “Lock Socket” Shovels TOC Advertising Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1920s; Ames Shovel and Tool Company - Boston, MA Embossed lithographed tin advertising sign on a cardbord backing promoting Ames "Lock Socket" shovels, featuring bold red ground ...
Tin
Vintage Motor Rythm Tin Litho Advertising Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1940s; R. M. Hollingshead Corp. - Camden, NJ Vintage tune-up fluid advertising sign. This piece advertises Whiz's "Motor Rythm", a now-defunct line of tune-up fluids. The sign m...
Tin
Vintage Overbrook Straight Rye Whiskey Tin Litho Advertising Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1940s-1950s; Brookside Distilling Products Corporation - Scranton, PA Colorful tin lithograph advertising sign promoting Overbrook Straight Rye Whiskey, featuring bold white lett...
Tin
Late 19th Century Painted Tin Fountain Tobacco Advertising Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - Covington, KY Painted tin lithograph advertising sign for Fountain Tobacco, produced for Lovell & Buffington of Covington, Kentucky.
Tin
Antique Ethan Allen Clothier Figural Tin Ithaca-Type Advertising Display Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
Die-cut tin advertising display in the form of a smiling, stylized gentleman dressed in a green suit with bowtie, hands tucked casually into his pockets. The figure's torso reads "De...
Tin
Early 20th Century Sidney Dillon Cigars Self-Framed Tin Litho Advertising Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
. - Cincinnati, OH Antique embossed tin cigar advertising sign with self-framing. This sign advertises Sidney Dillon cigars, a brand named for the famous American Trotter racehorse...
Tin
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.
Tin
Advertising Tin Sign "The Delaware Insurance Company of Philadelphia" Circa 1885
By The Delaware Insurance Company of Philadelphia
Located in Incline Village, NV
This is a very rare and early (circa 1885) tin advertising sign, commissioned by the Delaware Insurance Company, located and founded in Philadelphia in 1835.
Tin
Vintage Double-Sided Painted Metal Stewart-Warner Dealership Advertising Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1930s-1940s; Stewart-Warner Corp. - Chicago, IL Double-sided painted metal dealership advertising sign promoting Stewart-Warner's South Wind automobile heater line. Each side fea...
Tin
Vintage NOS DeKalb Winged Corn Advertising Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1950s-1960s; DeKalb Agricultural Association, Inc. - DeKalb, IL Die-cut tin litho new-old-stock advertising sign featuring the iconic DeKalb winged ear of corn graphic, rendered ...
Steel
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
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 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.