Whimsical "PHOTOS" Neon sign photo booth / store display
Located in Buffalo, NY
Whimsical "PHOTOS" Neon sign photo booth / store display..
Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Signs
Materials
Metal
Whimsical Signs
Large Carved Pub Sign
$17,500
Large Carved Pub Sign
Located in Greenwich, CT
A pub sign depicting a whimsical fox emerging from a gilt jug, of very large scale.
Category
Vintage 1930s English Folk Art Signs
Materials
Wood
Recent Sales
Early "spa" Sign
Located in Hadley, MA
Fantastic, whimsical trade sign, advertising a 19th C version of today's Spa.
Category
Antique 19th Century American Signs
Vintage Folk Art Fruit Stand Sign
Located in Seattle, WA
Crude hand-lettering in bright red over a soft pumpkin-color background, this piece is sized right for a casual kitchen wall or along side other whimsical signs to enhance an on-goin...
Category
20th Century American Signs
Materials
Wood, Paint
Whimsical Advertising Light-Up Sign
Located in Petaluma, CA
We are avid advertising collectors and dealers for over 30 years and here's an item that we have never seen before. The scene depicts a young child being spanked by his teacher for n...
Category
Early 20th Century American Edwardian Signs
Materials
Paper
Whimsical Violin Iron Lock and Key
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Very charming and unusual folk art iron pad lock.
Category
Antique 19th Century Unknown Folk Art Signs
Materials
Iron
Fairground Whimsical Figure of Strongman John
Located in Greenwich, CT
Charming mid-20th century fairground "strongman" figure, the slight gentleman wearing a beanie cap and sporting a handlebar moustache in mid squat position standing on original paint...
Category
Vintage 1940s American Folk Art Signs
Materials
Fiberglass
Folk Art Fresh Eggs Advertising Sign
Located in Mt Kisco, NY
whimsical painted wood sign depicting a chicken standing on an oversized egg.
Category
Early 20th Century American Signs
Folk Art Hotel Dress Code Sign, circa 1950
Located in Nantucket, MA
Vintage Folk Art Hotel Dress Code Sign, circa 1950, a whimsical hand painted sign from a posh resort in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century American Folk Art Signs
Materials
Wood
Early 19thc Bronze Hand Trade Sign On Iron Mount
Located in Los Angeles, CA
THIS 19THC FOLKY AND WHIMSICAL BRONZE LADIES HAND TRADE SIGN THAT IS ON A CUSTOM IRON STAND WAS PROBABLY MOUNTED ON A BRICK STORE FRONT BUILDING.WE ARE NOT SURE WHAT IT IS SUPPOSE TO...
Category
Antique 19th Century Unknown Signs
Materials
Bronze
Charming Hand-Painted Advertising Sign – "The Two Friends, Lodgings for Seamen"
Sold
H 35 in W 30 in D 1 in
Charming Hand-Painted Advertising Sign – "The Two Friends, Lodgings for Seamen"
Located in New York, NY
Charming Hand-Painted Advertising Sign – "The Two Friends, Lodgings for Seamen" This whimsical advertising sign, depicting two female figures, is inscribed with "The Two Friends, Lo...
Category
20th Century English Victorian Signs
Materials
Wood, Paint
Folk Art Hand Painted Wooden Trade Sign
Located in Nantucket, MA
1930s? A wonderful whimsical sign most likely from a farm stand: they are selling something for the great bargain of 15 for 25 cents, but wait... the Second half is Free!!!
Category
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Signs
Materials
Pine
Unintentionally Whimsical Lobster Pound Sign, circa 1970
Located in Nantucket, MA
Unintentionally Whimsical Lobster Pound Sign, circa 1970, a great vintage hand-painted two board trade sign for a lobster pound.
Category
Mid-20th Century American Folk Art Signs
Materials
Pine
Vintage Trailer Highway Sign
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Whimsical vintage highway sign from Texas. Blue sign with with graphics of a trailer.
Category
Vintage 1970s American Signs
Materials
Steel
Same Day Service Neon Sign
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Whimsical Lucite and neon sign. "SAME DAY SERVICE" likely from a dry-cleaner.
Category
1990s North American Signs
Materials
Glass, Lucite
Midcentury Lobster Pools Trade Sign
Located in Nantucket, MA
They are not seen as often as they used to be on the Cape and along the coast of Maine, although some very old ones still survive like the famous one in Ogunquit. This sign is uninte...
Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Signs
Materials
Plywood
Whimsical Butchers Trade Sign
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A truly whimsical and amusing vintage butchers trade sign.
Category
Vintage 1950s American Signs
Whimsical Tin Bird Silhouette
Located in North Egremont, MA
First half of the twentieth century bird cut from a flattened oil can, strong silhouette and a collage graphic from the advertising lettering
Category
Vintage 1940s Signs
Wrestling Club Sign
Located in Seattle, WA
Whimsical Wrestling Club sign with bright yellow, red and black paint; custom-framed in blackened angle-iron with a two-inch profile.
Category
20th Century American Signs
Materials
Steel
Vintage Cottage Sign
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A whimsical and amusing vintage sign that probably hung above the front entrance on a midwest lake, summer resort/camp cottage.
Category
Vintage 1960s American Signs
Materials
Wood
Fishing Hole Sign
Located in Seattle, WA
Twentieth century roadside goodness, right here. A colorful, whimsical make-do sign for the Rainbow Springs fishing area, Somewhere, USA.
Category
20th Century American Rustic Signs
Red Worms For Sale Sign
Located in Seattle, WA
Another whimsical 'make-do' sign made from the lid from an old steel barrel, this one advertising the sale of red worms.
Category
Vintage 1950s American Folk Art Signs
Materials
Steel
Pair of 19th Century Optician Signs
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Set of two whimsical Optician signs from San Francisco. Priced as a pair
Category
Antique 19th Century American Signs
Materials
Metal
Painted Advertising Sign, "The Two Friends, " England, 20th C.
Located in New York, NY
Whimsical Painted Advertising Sign Depicting Two Female Figures and Inscribed,"The Two Friends, Lodgings for Seamen."
Category
20th Century English Signs
Materials
Wood
Mule's Head and Moon-Shine Bottle
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Fold Ard Advertisement Sign. A whimsical composition of a mule's head and "moon-shine" bottle.
Category
20th Century American Signs
Materials
Metal
Whimsical Painted Tin Sign
Located in Woodbury, CT
Lovely whimsical painted tin sign titled "The Summerhouse".
Category
20th Century English Paintings
Materials
Tin
Vintage Pub Sign Advertising Daily Selection
Located in New York, NY
Vintage Pub Sign Advertising the Daily Selection of “Stewed Eels, Pie and Mash, Stout, Cockles, and Whelks”, England, 20th Century This whimsical shop sign has been recently re...
Category
20th Century English Decorative Art
Materials
Paint
Whimsical Garden Sign
Located in Woodbury, CT
Whimsical Garden Sign. This hand-painted and very large sheet-iron sign is a wonderful example of 20th century country Folk Art.
Category
Vintage 1950s American Signs
Materials
Sheet Metal
Man's Mid 20th Century Sign Fragment
Located in Hudson, NY
From the Stephanie Lloyd Collection- a whimsical mounted metal letter sign. Old paint in a copper gold tone over earlier pink and black paint.
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Signs
19th Century Folk Art "Pad Lock Sign"
Located in High Point, NC
Large and whimsical advertising sign in the form of a padlock.
Category
Antique Early 1900s English Signs
Materials
Hardwood, Paint
Pink Elephant Neon Sign, 1950s Liquor Store, Animated
Located in North Hollywood, CA
This whimsical pink elephant neon sign came from a 1950s liquor store in the Palm Springs area.
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Signs
Materials
Steel
Large Prancing Horse Silhouette Sign
Located in Seattle, WA
A stylized 'Prancing Horse' sign fragment with whimsical form and pose, stencil-cut from textured sheet steel; the steel strap used here is approximately 1" wide with some variation...
Category
20th Century American Wall-mounted Sculptures
Materials
Steel
People Also Browsed
Antique Folk Art Carnival Attraction Hand Painted Sign circa 1940's
Located in Douglas Manor, NY
1677 Hand painted carnival sign world's tallest man and Tom tump In a pediment frame
Category
Vintage 1940s Carnival Art
Materials
Hardwood, Paint
Fernand LégerFernand Leger, Untitled, from Circus, 1950, 1950
$1,996Sale Price|20% Off
H 16.63 in W 12.69 in
Fernand Leger, Untitled, from Circus, 1950
By Fernand Léger
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Fernand Leger (1881–1955), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the album Cirque, Lithographies Originales (Circus, Original Lithographs), originates from ...
Category
1950s Cubist Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Library of Antique Leatherbound Books
Located in Brønshøj, DK
This collection consists of 400 antique decorative books, mainly dating from 1850–1950, with most published before 1920. The books are bound in leather, many with fine gold leaf embo...
Category
20th Century Danish Victorian Books
Materials
Gold Leaf
Manly P. Hall's The Secret Teachings, Facsimile Book Set with Prints
$500 / item
H 18.7 in W 13.2 in D 3 in
Manly P. Hall's The Secret Teachings, Facsimile Book Set with Prints
By TASCHEN
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The classic encyclopedia of the arcane in an expanded edition. Renowned philosopher and lecturer Manly P. Hall’s masterful encyclopedia of ancient symbols, hidden rituals, and arcan...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Books
Materials
Foil
Baroque Solar System & Zodiac Map – Homann Doppelmayr, Hand Colored c.1742
$1,915
H 21.26 in W 24.41 in D 0.01 in
Baroque Solar System & Zodiac Map – Homann Doppelmayr, Hand Colored c.1742
Located in Langweer, NL
Baroque Solar System & Zodiac Map – Homann Doppelmayr, Hand Colored c.1742 This impressive celestial engraving depicts the Copernican heliocentric solar system and is titled “Sy...
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century German Maps
Materials
Paper
Fossilised Skull of Prehistoric Marine Reptile the Mosasaur, 70Million Years Ago
$23,570Sale Price|30% Off
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...
Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier African Natural Specimens
Materials
Bone
19th Century Italian Roman Vanitas Bust Renaissance Revival Memento Mori Marble
$12,720Sale Price|20% Off
H 29.53 in W 23.63 in D 11.03 in
19th Century Italian Roman Vanitas Bust Renaissance Revival Memento Mori Marble
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Masterfully carved & most impressive Italian Vanitas bust in solid marble from late 19th century. White Carrara marble skull combined with a Belgian Black marble Roman toga (ro...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Busts
Materials
Marble, Belgian Black Marble, Carrara Marble
French 18th Century Forged Iron Folk Art Baroque Tavern Sign
$5,166Sale Price|50% Off
H 32.49 in W 32.29 in D 1.97 in
French 18th Century Forged Iron Folk Art Baroque Tavern Sign
Located in Buisson, FR
Important and beautiful 18th century Tavern sign depicting a rearing white horse with a crowned coat of arms on its back. Most likely from the Alsace, France due to the German influe...
Category
Antique 18th Century French Baroque Signs
Materials
Iron
HIFI Vinyl LP Storage Bench / Record Shelf Mid-Century Modern Walnut Pete Deeble
$2,300 / item
H 20.5 in W 14 in D 67 in
HIFI Vinyl LP Storage Bench / Record Shelf Mid-Century Modern Walnut Pete Deeble
By Pete Deeble
Located in Long Beach, CA
This bench is the ideal solution to having records sitting all over your house and no place to sit. This is an original design, but with a strong influence of Mid Century Danish Mode...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Materials
Walnut
Rare 1920's can "Drugs" Sign /Arrow, LIGHT UP milk glass letters, double sided
$5,600
H 38 in W 112 in D 8 in
Rare 1920's can "Drugs" Sign /Arrow, LIGHT UP milk glass letters, double sided
Located in Buffalo, NY
Rare 1920's can "Drugs" Sign /Arrow, LIGHT UP milk glass letters, double sided,, Pre-dates NEON,, Truly amazing sign,, Salvaged from an old Pharmacist,, apparently hung outside (late...
Category
Vintage 1920s American Art Deco Signs
Materials
Metal, Cut Steel
American Folk Art 'PAN FRIED TROUT' Hanging Sign
Located in Chicago, IL
Three words, three fish, and not a hint of subtlety. Hand-carved from wood and painted to resemble rainbow trout, the trio reclines inside an oversized wooden frying pan as if awaiti...
Category
20th Century American Folk Art Signs
Materials
Metal
Antique Industrial Art Deco Brass Ladies & Gents Toilet Illuminated Sign, C.1920
$2,086 / set
H 9.85 in W 20.48 in D 1.19 in
Antique Industrial Art Deco Brass Ladies & Gents Toilet Illuminated Sign, C.1920
Located in London, GB
A stunning pair of illuminated glass toilet signs made in England by Burnham & Co, Deptford. c.1920 These original Art Deco-era signs feature solid brass frames with their origina...
Category
Early 20th Century English Art Deco Signs
Materials
Brass
Late 19th Century Antique Stained Glass Window with Hand Painted Center, Jewels
$7,500Sale Price|21% Off
H 65.5 in W 29.5 in D 1.5 in
Late 19th Century Antique Stained Glass Window with Hand Painted Center, Jewels
Located in Stamford, CT
Late 19th century Victorian Stained glass window with a hand painted center panel of a small bird seeing its reflection in a frozen birdbath, the detail is simply amazing. The brilli...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century American Windows
Materials
Stained Glass, Wood
aRT dECO 1940s / 50s Modernist Light -up "TELEPHONE" SIGN.... 40" LONG
By Ilka Plast
Located in Buffalo, NY
aRT dECO 1940s / 50s Modernist Light -up "TELEPHONE" SIGN.... 40" LONG...eMbossed form plastic lettering,,Stunning graphic, pull chain on/off switch.Retains original metal can,,orig...
Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Signs
Materials
Metal
Space Mission Pinball Arcade Game, 1976 USA
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage 'SPACE MISSION' pinball machine from 1976. 4 players can play. Made by Williams Electronics. In excellent working condition, recently restored. Great visuals and sounds. Extr...
Category
Vintage 1970s American Games
Materials
Metal
Antique Pharmacy Cabinet, Walnut Bookcases and Glass Doors with Sign, '800 Italy
$60,409Sale 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...
Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Apothecary Cabinets
Materials
Glass, Walnut
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Whimsical Signs For Sale on 1stDibs
There is a range of whimsical signs for sale on 1stDibs. Frequently made of metal, wood and iron, all whimsical signs available were constructed with great care. Whimsical signs have been made for many years, and versions that date back to the 19th Century alongside those produced as recently as the 20th Century. Folk Art and Mid-Century Modern whimsical signs are consistently popular styles.
How Much are Whimsical Signs?
Prices for whimsical signs start at $345 and top out at $7,900 with the average selling for $1,490.
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.
Read More
A Giant Wedding Cake Has Us Looking at Portuguese Tiles in a New Light
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.
Why Jules Chéret Was the King of the Modern Poster
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.
Why the American Flag Has Had So Many Different Star Patterns
Expert Jeff Bridgman explains the history and meaning behind the twinkling constellations that have graced Old Glory.
Peggy Guggenheim Loved Modernism, but She Also Collected Tribal Art
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.
The 13-Star American Flag Had More Variations Than You’d Think
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.
Tramp Art, America’s Most Misunderstood Art Form, Is Trending in Interiors
Designers are beginning to see this enigmatic form of folk art in a whole new light.
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