Large Painted Wooden Advertising Sign, “HORNIMAN’S PURE TEA”
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Large painted wooden advertising sign, “HORNIMAN’S PURE TEA” This is a large painted wooden wall sign Shabby now but quite readable It is 31” high and 64” wide TGB240.
Wood
Monumental "Danish Designs" Wooden Advertising Sign
Located in Peabody, MA
Monumental 67" wide (5 1/2 feet) double-sided surfboard style advertising sign in painted wood with 1/2" raised wood lettering, for "Danish Designs", ca. 1960s. From a modern furnis...
Paint, Wood
Italian mid-century modern wooden advertising sign, 1970s
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century modern wooden advertising sign, 1970s Double-sided rectangular advertising poster applied to a rigid wooden panel and fitted with an upper hole and metal chain fo...
Wood, Paper
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
Antique Hammer Dry Plate Figural Double-Sided Photography Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
Louis, MO Vintage figural wooden advertising sign for a photographic dry plate company.
Wood
Large Painted Wooden Automobile Advertising Sign, “Scott Bro’s Morris”
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Large painted wooden automobile advertising sign, “Scott Bro’s Morris” This is a large painted wooden wall sign Shabby now but quite readable It is 25” high and 108” wide TGB...
Wood
19th Century Large Pyramidal "Kern and McNaughton" Cigar Signage
Located in Dekalb, IL
Large freestanding wooden trade sign advertising "CIGARS," constructed in a tapered, pyramidal form with four painted panels rising to a shaped top crest reading "KERN AND McNAUGHTON."
Wood
“Bird Carvings” Painted Wooden Trade Sign with Carved Swans
Located in Mount Horeb, WI
A charming mid-20th-century American painted wooden trade sign advertising “BIRD CARVINGS,” likely dating to the 1940s-1950s.
Softwood
19th Century American Patriotic Barber Pole Open Sign Folk Art
Located in Forney, TX
A rare, likely one-of-a-kind, large antique, circa 1860s, early American hand carved, painted, and sculpted wooden patriotic barber pole advertising trade sign / open sign.
Wood, Giltwood, Paint
Vintage Wooden Advertising Sign
Located in Culverthorpe, Lincs
Hailing from the Home Counties in England, a region renowned for the Arts and Crafts movement, this local builder's hand-painted advertising sign (1950s) depicts the simplicity of a ...
Wood
"Ace Carpentry" Advertising Sign
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Fantastic hand painted, wooden "Ace Carpentry" advertising sign in the shape of a giant saw.
Vintage Wood Bull Hillspring Farm Sign
Located in Chicago, IL
Vintage wooden double sided advertising sign for Hillspring Farm.
Metal
Unavailable
H 19.69 in W 114.97 in D 2.37 in
Early 20th Century 9 Foot Reclaimed Advertising Wooden Sign for Typhoo Tea
Located in STOKE ON TRENT, GB
Painted wooden advertising typhoo tea Sign. An extra large 9.5-foot reclaimed solid wood advertising sign for Typhoo tea.
Wood
Large Painted Wooden Advertising Sign, Youngs London Eel and Pie Shop
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Large painted wooden advertising sign, Youngs London Eel and Pie Shop A great piece and historic interest, the paint has a crackly but still sound finish, the sign is a heavy piec...
Huge Hand Painted French Wooden Advertising Sign
Located in Ongar, GB
A huge hand painted French wooden advertising sign for Carpentry. The sign says Carpentry, Vincent Quinta & Sons.
Pine
Early-Mid 20th Century Lake View Beach Wooden Advertising Sign
Located in Milford, NH
A great wooden hand-painted advertising sign, probably dating from the early-mid-20th century, for Lake View Beach bathing and bath houses, painted on tongue and groove boards, and s...
Wood
Sold
H 24 in W 48 in D 1 in
Large Painted Wooden Advertising Sign, Hardy Bros Ltd, Angling Specialists
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Large painted wooden advertising sign, Hardy Bros Ltd, angling specialists This large wooden wall sign was painted for the London Shop which opened in 1907 The plaque has gold wr...
Mahogany
Sold
H 40 in W 28 in D 0.5 in
Vintage Advertising Sign, Large Wooden Hand Painted, Cape Cod, Massachusettes
Located in Vero Beach, FL
This is an authentic and artistically hand painted and handmade wooden advertising sign in original condition. It was found in Cape Cod, New England as a shingle for an artist studi...
Wood
Long Painted Wooden Hovis Advertising Baker’s Sign
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Long painted wooden hovis advertising Baker’s sign This piece came from a cafe where it was still in situ during the 1990s, the sign has a brown background with gold lettering Th...
Wood
1900-1920 Original Wooden Advertising French Beer Sign
Located in Surrey, BC
Original wooden French advertising sign depicting a produced beer in the Southern France region of Antibes known as Fort-Carre.
Sold
H 33.25 in W 23.75 in D 1.38 in
Maynard & Noyes Ink Company Wooden Advertising Trade Sign, Boston MA
Located in Milford, NH
A fine hand painted poplar or oak wooden sign with wooden frame for Maynard & Noyes Ink Company, Boston, Massachusetts, which reads “Boston, Established 1816, Maynard & Noyes, Manufa...
Poplar
Sold
H 19 in W 3.5 in D 4.5 in
Early 20th Century Orlik Oversized Wooden English Advertising Trade Sign Pipe
Located in London, GB
Early 20th century Orlik oversized wooden English advertising Trade Sign Pipe We are proud to offer a rare example of an early 20th century English handmade oversized Orlik advertisi...
Wood
Sold
H 56 in W 35.5 in D 1.75 in
Early 20th C Folk Art Novelty Shop Polychrome Wooden Figural Advertising Sign
Located in Milford, NH
A unique polychrome wooden folk art figural Novelty Shop advertising sign, probably dating to the early to mid 20th century.
Wood
Chemist Shop Advertising Trade Sign
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Chemist shop advertising trade sign. A great piece, a large wooden advertising “Wall” sign, the sign is original, with studded lettering on the words “Drugs” and “Pills”, this is ...
20th Century Hand Painted Sign For Ellis Pearson & Co, c.1950
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Mid 20th Century hand painted wooden advertising sign for Ellis Pearson & Co Ltd from 1950's, when the Sheffield based company were pottery glass and china merchants.
Wood
Vintage Wooden RCA Sign
Located in Surrey, BC
large wooden advertising sign depicting the arrival of color for the modern television.
Wood
Sold
H 40.36 in W 23.63 in D 0.71 in
Fantastic Circus, Carnival Advertising Wooden Sign Folk Art, Americana
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
Circus advertising wooden sign. These type of signs would go on the circus wagons or tents.
Wood
Sold
H 35.04 in W 7.88 in D 10.24 in
Hand Carved Wooden English Tobacco Shop Trade Sign Advertising Figure circa 1860
Located in London, GB
English tobacco shop advertising figure, circa 1860 for Turkish cigarettes This lot is an exceptionally rare original English tobacco shop advertising figure circa 1860 advertising ...
Wooden Trade Sign Advertising Model of a 3D Art Deco Bentley Racing Car
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Wooden trade sign advertising model of a 3D Art Deco Bentley racing car.
Wood
Sold
H 47 in W 9.25 in D 1 in
19th c Giant Wooden Advertising Thermometer NY Life Insurance Co "NYLIC"
Located in Savannah, GA
Giant sized forty seven inches tall wooden thermometer made by the Hoehn Company Thermomter Makers, Chambers Street, NYC. constucted of hard wood with a rounded top and beveled edges...
Metal
19th Century Folk Art Painted Advertising on Board
Located in Surrey, BC
Excellent hand-painted wooden advertising sign depicting air tight heaters.
Wood
Antique Victorian Hand Painted Cadbury Cocoa Sign, circa 1900-1910
Located in San Francisco, CA
About This is a rare original wooden Victorian Cadbury's Cocoa framed advertising sign from the UK.
Wood
20th Century Vintage Decorative Wooden Advertising Sign
Located in Culverthorpe, Lincs
Great looking wooden sign advertising Hington Road Branch. Dark green almost black background, with gold lettering and border.
Large Wooden Advertising Sign "The Health Habit"
Located in Woodbury, CT
A large sized double-sided wood trade sign "The Health Habit" with hand painted black scripted letters. The painted surface has weathered to a warm parchment coloring with bold black...
1950's advertising sign
Located in Chicago, IL
Great 1950's metal advertising sign in wooden simple frame.
Metal
Carved Wooden Sign For Puppies
Located in Solebury, PA
A carved wooden sign advertising Puppies for sale or available.
Sunday Express Sign
Located in Alton, GB
A vintage 1970s Sunday Express newspaper Red and white advertising wooden display board with sign reading 'Best for Sports'.
Iron
Pair of Two Antique Shop Signs Haberdashery Glass Tobacconist Signage
Located in Longdon, Tewkesbury
Pair of long wooden framed glass tobacco advertising signs, wide in three sections westward ho!
Oversized 1930's Wooden Sign
Located in Chicago, IL
Oversized 1930's Hand Painted Wooden Advertising Sign
Wood
19th Century Clothing Advertising Wooden Sign
Located in North Beninngton, VT
Great 19th c. Clothing Advertising Wooden Sign. "SALVATORE'S " "FRIVOLOUS CONTINENTAL UNDERWEAR" The word "frivolous" in the 19th century wasn't derogatory as it is today.
Oversized Novelty Wooden Advertising Peg
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
An interesting and decorative oversized wooden advertising peg, French, second half of the 20th century.
Beech
Wooden Old Crow Whiskey Advertising Display, Early 20th Century
Located in Retie, BE
Large wooden Old Crow Whiskey advertising display - whiskey counter display.
Wood
Folk Art Sign
Located in London, GB
An Edwardian Folk Art sign with overscale finger, insribed ‘Left Luggage’.
Hardwood
$440Sale Price|20% Off
H 22.25 in W 16.63 in D 0.07 in
Original Italian Art Exhibition Poster - Ferruccio Garopesani
Located in Miami, FL
Original Italian art exhibition poster by painter and designer Ferruccio Garopesani. Presented in 1975 at the Galleria International d'Arte - Diorena - Ascona, Italy. A native of ...
Paper
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
Hardwood, Paint
Vintage Hand Painted British Motorcycle Shop Sign
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Vintage graphic Motorcycles sales and service sign. Great hand-painted lettering. Wood with original paint surface. Found in the northeastern United States. Fun Americana with a Brit...
Wood
Vintage Double-Sided Bar Directional Advertising Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
Double-sided hand-painted plywood advertising sign directing patrons to a downstairs bar. The stepped Art Deco-inspired profile features the phrases "DOWNSTAIRS BAR IS OPEN," "TO LAD...
Wood, Paint
1960s English Carnival Sign
Located in High Point, NC
1960s carnival art sign from England. It is advertising a cake walk on one side of the sign, and on the back has a charming message "Have a nice Victorian day". Great sign for any co...
Wood
$2,018
H 56.7 in W 40.95 in D 1.58 in
Vintage 20th Century Italian Campari "Lo Spiritello" Advertising Poster c.1970
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
A striking Italian offset lithographic advertising poster for Campari, produced during the 1970s after Leonetto Cappiello's celebrated Lo Spiritello design of 1921. One of the most r...
Glass, Paper
Antique "Groceries" Hand-Painted Wooden Storefront Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
Reclaimed wood sign with tin endcaps. This piece is comprised of (likely) hickory was also likely reclaimed from an unused barn during wartime when all typically-available materials...
Wood, Hickory, Paint
Early 20th Century Pharmacy Sign 'DRUGS' Painted on a Single Board
Located in Nantucket, MA
American folk art trade sign from an apothecary or pharmacy with the word 'DRUGS' in black paint with white shadow lines on an orange ground. Painted on a single pine plank with notc...
Pine, Paint
1930's / 40's Hand Painted " RADIO SERVICE" SHOP/STORE sIGN..
Located in Buffalo, NY
1930's / 40's Hand Painted " RADIO SERVICE" SHOP/STORE sIGN.. .Great graphics. font..
Wood
Wood Framed Glass Two-Sided Electric Sign, circa 1930
Located in Surrey, BC
This is a very rare one of a kind automotive collector item. Cantilevered cast iron sign for Brighton Garage. Two-sided, electrified sign with its lettering reverse-painted on glass...
Iron
$1,282
H 38.59 in W 24.41 in D 0.04 in
Original Vintage Travel Poster Italia Italy Fruit Midcentury Modern ENIT Design
Located in London, GB
Original vintage travel poster for Italy / Italia issued by the Italian tourist board ENIT (Ente Nazionale Italiano per il Turismo) featuring a colourful mid-century design of a lady...
Paper
Large Vintage Double Side Tetley Pub Sign
Located in Batley, GB
A large 20th century double sided hanging pub sign for a pub called THE CROWN which has made for a rather well executed sign writing. The ebonized frame surrounds the the sheet metal...
Metal
Antique Directional Trade Sign for Coin-Op Machine
Located in Dekalb, IL
A vibrant hand-painted directional sign used to draw attention toward a nearby coin-operated machine or attraction. The carved wooden pointing hand-complete with stylized knuckle and...
Wood, Paint
Italian Grafiche Mariano 20th Century Poster of Gio Ponti Design
Located in Amarillo, TX
Framed Grafiche Mariano poster of Gio Ponti design, possibly a Domus magazine image.
Glass, Paper
Vintage Pepsi-Cola Diner Menu Board Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
c. 1940s/1950s; Pepsi Cola Company - Long Island City, NY Hand-painted wooden roadside diner menu board featuring the Pepsi-Cola bottle cap logo above stacked pricing for hamburgers...
Wood, Paint
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.