Signs
to
50
369
221
598
9
1
115
111
45
23
20
8
5
5
1
1
1
1
1
8
73
517
10
133
192
151
17
5
22
22
22
48
25
85
35
17
371
203
92
69
67
277
259
241
79
58
608
607
608
1
1
1
1
1
Signs For Sale
Vintage American Folk Art Showroom Trade Sign
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Charming vintage wooden trade sign for Showroom. The sign was original painted in with green and white colors and have been through a later restoration when a thick lacquer that has ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Folk Art Signs
Materials
Wood, Paint
Argentinian Pierced Iron Bathroom Sign
Located in Round Top, TX
Argentinian Pierced Iron Bathroom Sign with interior light. Circa 1940.
Dimensions: 9" H x 24 1/4" W x 3 3/4" D
Category
Mid-20th Century Argentine Signs
Materials
Iron
$1,010 / item
19th Century Tobacconist’s Trade Sign
Located in Greenwich, CT
English carved and polychrome decorated wood tobacconist’s trade sign in the form of a “Turk” wearing a distinctive headdress and dressed in a long robe, this advertising figure rela...
Category
19th Century British Folk Art Antique Signs
Materials
Wood
12ft Long Hovis Advertising Baker’s Shop Sign, Reverse Painted, Gold Leaf
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
12ft Long Hovis Advertising Baker’s Shop Sign, Reverse Painted, Gold Leaf
This is a very long pictorial sign, it is reputed to be part of the decoration from the Head Office
The si...
Category
Early 1900s Edwardian Antique Signs
Materials
Glass
$8,055 Sale Price
20% Off
Early 20th Century Piano Teacher Sign Board
Located in Peabody, MA
Hand painted sign for the services of a "modern" piano teacher. This would likely have meant ragtime or jazz, as these were often referred to as new approaches to the instrument as o...
Category
1930s North American Folk Art Vintage Signs
Materials
Wood, Paint
Spanish Provincial Style Carved Horse Head Wall Plaque Sign
Located in Queens, NY
Spanish Provincial (20th Cent) style painted and carved horse head wall plaque/sign (La Taberna Caballoblanco) (Related item: 049724D).
Category
20th Century Renaissance Signs
Materials
Wood
Art Deco Chrome & Glass Skyscraper Directory Sign
Located in Hanover, MA
Vintage 1940's chrome frame building directory sign with beveled glass double panels.
This came from the famous Boston (North End) restaurant 'Joe Tecce's' which closed in 2010 after...
Category
1940s American Art Deco Vintage Signs
Materials
Chrome, Steel, Aluminum
$1,395 Sale Price
44% Off
Circa 1890 Hardware Store Wood Trade Sign Carved Smaltz Black and Gold Paint
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Exceptional late 19th century hand carved letters with black and Gold paint and black smaltz background. Excellent typography. Great wall art. Simple and bold.
Category
Late 19th Century American Folk Art Antique Signs
Materials
Wood
1950 Vintage American Folk Art Band Stand Hand Painted Goofy Jazz Music Stand
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Hand painted band stand folding music stand, circa 1950s. Great folk art design and Goofy dog painted. Possibly from the Jazz Mill in Phoenix. Great wall han...
Category
1950s American Folk Art Vintage Signs
Materials
Composition, Metal
Long 'Dead End' Highway Sign
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage highway sign. Dead End Rd. Over 3 feet long. Cool vintage sign with good subject matter. Reflective material.
Category
1960s American Vintage Signs
Materials
Steel
Large Vintage Yellow Iron Facade Letter A, 1960s
Located in Kojetice, CZ
This vintage industrial facade letter “A” was made during the 1960s in former Czechoslovakia and comes from an old inscription POŠTA. In czech language Post Office. The weight of th...
Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Industrial Signs
Materials
Iron
Vintage Heavy Cast Iron Dog Lawn Sign
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
We offer this original Vintage Heavy Cast Iron Dog Lawn Sign. Made in iron with great patina
Category
1950s American Industrial Vintage Signs
Materials
Iron
English Pub Sign, "The Admiral"
Located in Austin, TX
An authentic English pub sign (one-sided) featuring a portrait painting of a decorated Royal Navy admiral with the sea and warships in the backgroun...
Category
20th Century English Signs
Materials
Metal
Large French Toleware Glove Maker’s Shop Trade Sign
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Large French Toleware Glove Maker’s Shop Trade Sign
This is a very rare piece it is in good condition and has a new blacksmith made wall bracket, the bracket is copy of the origina...
Category
Early 1900s Folk Art Antique Signs
Materials
Tin
Vintage Pink Illuminated Letter T , 1970s
Located in Kojetice, CZ
This vintage industrial plastic illuminated facade letter T was made in Italy during the 1970s and comes from an old advertising banner. It is equipped with a LED strip. The letter c...
Category
1970s Italian Industrial Vintage Signs
Materials
Plastic
Vintage Americana Mid-Century Neon Barber Shop Sign
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Fantastic 13.5 foot long Mid-Century vintage neon barber shop sign. Total statement piece. Unusual three dimensional channel letters. Many layers of r...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Folk Art Signs
Materials
Metal
Old Advertising Sign for Blood Oranges Displaying a Horse, Pottery, Italy, 1920s
Located in Vienna, AT
A decorative advertising sign, made of ceramic, dated around 1920s, made in Italy. An advertising sign for selling Italian blood oranges, displaying a white horse. Good condition wit...
Category
1920s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Signs
Materials
Pottery
Hobart Kitchen Machines Mid Century Neon Sign
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A very nice vintage neon sign advertising the Hobart Food Machine company . Founded in 1897 making motors in Troy Ohio and turning the use of their motors into running food machines ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Signs
Materials
Steel
Hand Painted Oversized Fiberglass Cheeseburger Pop Art
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Oversized vintage cheeseburger pop art in fiberglass. Likely used as a store display. Hand made in fiberglass and hand painted with great detail. ...
Category
1970s American Vintage Signs
Materials
Paint, Fiberglass
Vintage French Christian Dior Advertising Statue, 1960s
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Beautiful and intriguing advertising statue for Christian Dior.
This would have been used on a shop counter or to draw attention in a shop windo...
Category
1960s French Art Deco Vintage Signs
Materials
Plaster
Steel Cowboy Boot Advertising Sign
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Monumental and heavy painted steel advertising sign in the shape of a cowboy boot. Boot was most likely hung outside a boot shop. Great original patina. C...
Category
1940s American Vintage Signs
Materials
Steel
Cast Iron Clock Face Surround from Observatory Clock Tower Double-Sided
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Very cool cast iron clock face surround, observatory time. Double-sided with great paint surface. Substantial heavy duty iron hooks. Lots of potential...
Category
Late 19th Century American Folk Art Antique Signs
Materials
Iron
Vintage Illuminated Letter a, 1970s
Located in Kojetice, CZ
This vintage industrial illuminated letter A was made in Italy during the 1970s and comes from an old advertising banner. It features a brown metal bod...
Category
1970s Italian Industrial Vintage Signs
Materials
Iron
Antique Vintage Industrial British Railway Station Enamel Advertising Sign
By British Railways
Located in Sale, GB
- An original British Rail sign, circa 1940.
- This Midlands Region sign has the inscription 'Rights Of Way Act 1932 The British Transport Commission Hereby Give Notice That This Wa...
Category
Mid-20th Century British Signs
Materials
Enamel
French 1950s Enamel Sign
Located in Brecht, BE
These enamel signs were used nearby schools, great decorative object, collector’s item.
Category
Mid-20th Century French Signs
Materials
Enamel
$2,147
Vintage "Cabins" Single Sided Porcelain Neon Sign
Located in Dekalb, IL
Vintage neon sign advertising cabins for rent. This piece features a bold Bauhaus-style font in white set against a dark background. The lettering has been traced in a turquoise neon...
Category
1940s American Industrial Vintage Signs
Materials
Metal, Enamel
Mid Century Hand Painted Double Sided Pub Sign C1950
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Double sided pub sign from the United Kingdom. Hand Painted and in excellent condition. Rough hewn wood well constructed with a heavy duty frame ...
Category
1950s British Folk Art Vintage Signs
Materials
Iron
Antique 19th Century English Lanscape Oil Painting - Signed Thomas Creswick RA
Located in London, GB
A large 19th century oil on canvas landscape oil painting. c.1852
Singed by the artist to the bottom left - T Creswick RA (1811-1869), inducted into the Royal Academy as a full me...
Category
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Signs
Materials
Canvas
California ROADSIDE BUSINESS Freeway Sign, 1950s USA
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Take a trip drown memory lane with this 1950s California freeway sign. Taken down from Nothern California decades ago, the sign features a black background with white lettering and c...
Category
1950s American Vintage Signs
Materials
Aluminum, Steel
Vintage Illuminated Letter T, 1970s
Located in Kojetice, CZ
This vintage Industrial illuminated letter T was made in Italy during the 1970s and comes from an old advertising banner. It features a black metal ...
Category
1970s Italian Industrial Vintage Signs
Materials
Iron
Very Early X-Ray Building Sign
Located in Peekskill, NY
This is one of the best signs I've ever had. It's 10 feet 8 inches long by 19 inches by 5 inches thick. The letters are painted in the negative, just like an X-ray. The letters are "...
Category
Late 19th Century American Industrial Antique Signs
Materials
Tin
Giant Art Deco Brass Fountain Pen and Mechanical Pencil Display Models
By Wahl Eversharp Co
Located in Hanover, MA
SATURDAY SALE
Oversized retail advertising presentation brass fountain pen and mechanical pencil display signs from the early 1920s when they would have been featured within a wood and glass display cabinet at the pen counter of a stationary store.
Originally the fountain pen would have been marked on its side "Wahl Pen...
Category
1920s American Art Deco Vintage Signs
Materials
Brass
$1,700 Sale Price / set
50% Off
19th Century 'Doctor McCracken' Surgeon's Trade Sign
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Double-sided doctor's medical practice trade sign for 'Dr. McCracken'.
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Signs
Vintage European Street Sign
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Great vintage European street sign. Deep blue and white. Newly mounted and framed. People at play in the street. Cool piece of wall art.
Category
1970s Italian Vintage Signs
Materials
Steel
Traditional Large Iron Hanging Pub Sign, The Boot
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Traditional large iron hanging pub sign. The Boot
This is a large and heavy piece dating from the beginning of the 20th Century, it is double sided though the paint on one side is...
Category
Early 1900s Folk Art Antique Signs
Materials
Iron
19th Century Boucherie Chevaline French Tradesign
Located in London, GB
Boucherie Chevaline
We are proud to offer a late 19th century Boucherie Chevaline, zinc gold leaf hand beaten butchers advertising trade sign. These items have become rare over the years especially the original gold leaf finished examples. Untouched in form in very presentable condition, with age related wear you may come to expect from an item of its age. This highly decorative object comes with its own bespoke cast iron display...
Category
Early 1900s French Victorian Antique Signs
Materials
Zinc
Vintage Illuminated Letter v, 1980s
Located in Kojetice, CZ
This vintage industrial illuminated letter V was made in Italy during the 1980s and comes from an old advertising banner. It features a vhite metal ...
Category
1980s Italian Industrial Vintage Signs
Materials
Iron
Set of Three Folk Art Straight Edge Razor Trade Signs
Located in Stamford, CT
Three whimsical American folk carved wood art trade signs in the form of straight edge razors. Used by barbers as interior advertisements. Two have...
Category
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Signs
Materials
Wood
Six Separate Hand Painted Hot Rod Car Theme Carry Bags or Purse
Located in Ferndale, MI
Six different hot rod auto related canvas tote carry bags. Hand painted here in Detroit. Image on one side only.
Category
2010s American Folk Art Signs
Materials
Canvas
Vintage Pepsi-Cola Enameled Metal Advertising Sign, Europe, 1970s
Located in Milano, IT
Iconic Pepsi-Cola advertising sign made of enameled metal, dating from the 1970s.
The design incorporates the classic logo with red cursive lettering, set against a wavy background ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Folk Art Signs
Materials
Metal, Enamel
Hand Painted Dentist Trade Sign c.1940
Located in San Francisco, CA
ABOUT
Single sided wooden dentist tooth trade sign with gold and black letters. Hand painted, hand carved.
Shown with a life size hand model for scale.
CREATOR Unknown.
...
Category
Early 20th Century Industrial Signs
Materials
Wood
C1940 Advertising Sign "Nassau" Stainless Frame
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fantastic advertising sign from possibly a travel agency or transit system c1940. Excellent vintage condition with just the right amount of wear. Stainless border and mounting hardwa...
Category
1940s American Folk Art Vintage Signs
Materials
Stainless Steel
Early Corona Beer Porcelain Advertising Sign
Located in Ferndale, MI
Early Corona beer man cave or restaurant porcelain advertising sign. As found.
Category
Mid-20th Century American Folk Art Signs
Materials
Steel
Antique Clock Advertising Sign
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Antique hand-painted advertising sign in the shape of a large pocket watch showing the name BB Thorp.
Category
19th Century Antique Signs
Vintage Iron Dog Black Painted Lawn Sign Dont Eat My Dog Why Would You Do That
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Fantastic patina on this vintage garden yard dog sign. Certainly a piece that would make a statement in any yard or garden.
Category
Mid-20th Century American Folk Art Signs
Materials
Metal, Iron
Framed 18th c. Merchant Trade Sign
Located in Greenwich, CT
A late 18th century/early 19th century trade sign from a Dutch West Indies shipping merchant. The carved wood and polychromed sign depicts a winged-foot Mercury figure surrounded by ...
Category
Late 18th Century Dutch Folk Art Antique Signs
Materials
Wood
Giant Double Sided Wood Peach Trade Sign from California Farm
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Great wooden trade sign from a California farm. Giant peach with graphics on both sides. Sign reads 'Hamilton's Tree Ripened Peaches 1/2 Mile' on on...
Category
1980s American Vintage Signs
Materials
Wood
1880s Odd Fellows Lodge Banner from Dakota
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Early 1880s Odd Fellows Lodge all-seeing eye banner from Centerville, Dakota. Excellent hand painting and lettering. Centerville was platted in 1883. Dakota became the states of North and South Dakota in 1889. The area is now part of the Sioux Falls...
Category
1880s American Folk Art Antique Signs
Materials
Silk
Vintage school education display Die Baumwolle (Cotton) by Josef Galler, Germany
Located in Miklavž Pri Taboru, SI
Vintage school education display Die Baumwolle (Cotton) by Josef Galler made in Germany in the 1960s.
Josef Galler the German creator of educational displays and school manuals on va...
Category
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Signs
Materials
Cotton, Glass, Wood
$830 Sale Price
20% Off
Los Angeles 5 Freeway Shield
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage Los Angeles freeway shield from the 5 freeway in Los Angeles. Interstate 5 runs from the Tijuana/California border all the way up to the Canadian ...
Category
1980s American Vintage Signs
Materials
Steel
Arts and Crafts Copper Milliners Trade Sign, Copper Top Hat
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Arts and Crafts Copper Milliners Trade Sign. Copper Top Hat
This is an unusual piece, the Top Hat is made in beaten Copper it sits on an old wooden stand
The hat and stand are bo...
Category
Late 19th Century Arts and Crafts Antique Signs
Materials
Copper
Large Pacific Coast Scenic Highway Sign
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large vintage Pacific Coast Highway sign reading "Pacific Coast Scenic Byway." Green sign that features birds, water, snow-capped mountains, Ever...
Category
1970s American Vintage Signs
Materials
Steel
Early 20th Century Wood and Canvas Painted Produce Sign
Located in Troy, MI
Wooden produce sign found in England, circa 1920s. Wood foundation is covered in strips of canvas which have been hand painted by unknown artist.
Category
Early 20th Century English Rustic Signs
Materials
Canvas, Wood
Italian Pirelli Wrought Iron Advertising Trade Sign 1920
Located in Hastings, GB
Absolutely incredible advertising sign for an Italian garage, blacksmith made in forged and ornate wrought Iron. This sign was removed from a garage in Turin, Italy where it had hung since 1920, advertising the variety of services the garage carried out, as well as Pirelli tyres.
The sign is wonderfully weather beaten, with losses to the paint and sections of the advertising text. Overall the sign is in superb structural condition, with a couple of small fissures, which are barely noticeable.
A truly exceptional piece of antique signage...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Signs
Materials
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century Milk Glass London England Westminister Kemble Street Sign
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fabulous etched milk glass street sign from the City of Westminster, England.
Original Arts & Crafts style frame in excellent vintage condition.
Category
1920s English Industrial Vintage Signs
Materials
Milk Glass, Oak
RICH Sign
Located in Darnestown, MD
This seemingly straightforward sign is open to several interpretations. Is it a statement of aspiration or having arrived? Might it be Richard's nickname? In any case, it is wonderfu...
Category
1930s American Vintage Signs
$1,800
English Pub Sign, "Charrington - The Eagle Tavern"
Located in Austin, TX
An authentic English pub sign (one-sided) featuring a painting of an eagle in flight with mountains in the background, entitled: Charrington - The Eagle Tavern.
A very fine example of vintage advertising artwork, ready for display.
Charrington & Co. Ltd, Anchor Brewery, Mile End Road, Tower Hamlets, London E1
The partnership of Charrington and Moss was first recorded at Mile End in 1770.
Registered as Charrington & Co. Ltd in July 1897
In 1962 they merged with United Breweries Ltd (formerly Northern Breweries of Great Britain Ltd...
Category
20th Century English Signs
Materials
Metal
Hand Painted Keep Off Sign
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage wooden Keep Off sign. Hand painted with red background and white lettering on thin wood board. Great colors and graphics. Great vintage condition. Coo...
Category
1950s American Vintage Signs
Materials
Wood
1960s, Green & White Painted Steel 'Two Hour Parking' Street Sign
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine vintage traffic or street sign.
With green text and border on a white ground.
The text reads:
'TWO HOUR PARKING BETWEEN 7AM - 7PM SUND...
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Signs
Materials
Steel
Antique Ingersoll Watches Adverting Trade Sign, circa 1900
Located in San Francisco, CA
Antique double sided trade sign for Ingersoll Watches in the shape of a pocket watch.
Excellent old sign in original condition.
American, late 19th-ear...
Category
Early 20th Century American Other Signs
Materials
Metal
Antique, New and Vintage Signs
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.