Antique Or Vintage Signs

·         Go to the point that interests you           

·         How to understand if an ancient sign has a collectible value

·         Conditions

·         Beauty

·         Rarity

·         Vintage signs and plates

·         Material

·         Wood

·         Tin

·         Glazed porcelain

·         Cardboard

·         Neon

·         Epoch

·         XVII-XVIII century

·         XVIII century

·         nineteenth century

·         20th century

·         Typology

·         Collecting antique signs with Roadrelics

Collecting is a wonderful and varied world, everything you are passionate about can be collectible.

Among some types of singular collecting we find the passion for ancient signs and plaques .

When we refer to antique collectible signs, we are certainly referring to objects considered vintage used mainly for advertising purposes.

If you want to collect antique vintage signs, you can't miss online auctions, like Roadrelics , which offer all sorts of collectibles.

How to understand if an ancient sign has a collectible value

There are several elements to consider when examining a collectible plaque or sign to establish its actual value.

With old plaques and signs, one must consider as important variables for their actual value: condition , visual appeal and scarcity .

Before purchasing, however, it is good to make sure that they are not simply modern reproductions or in any case you must be careful that they are not old plates refurbished to increase their value.

Conditions

The object naturally has more value if preserved well over time , without being faded or damaged. Think for example of the signs that have a logo, it is very important that that same logo is not rusty, that the colors are still vivid and that maybe it is not punctured by fire shots.

Beauty

Certainly, antique signs with greater visual appeal will attract the attention of a greater number of collectors and therefore will be more desired and valuable .

Rarity

As with all collectible items, it is always necessary to refer to the availability on the market of the sign or antique plaque, it is therefore good to identify whether they are special editions , unique or limited series productions .

Vintage signs and plates

Antique or vintage signs and plaques have as their object the advertising of different types of products , from soda to household appliances, from petroleum products to agricultural products.

Vintage signs and plates can be distinguished according to the material and used, age and type .

Material

Depending on the different eras, we can identify different types of materials used in the production of the signs, such as wood, glazed porcelain, tin, cardboard, neon.

Wood

Popular during the 18th century, it was mainly used in the production of signs to identify commercial activity . They were hand painted signs.

Tin

Used at the beginning of the 19th century, thanks to the development of new production and printing machinery at the end of the century, it was used with lithography to imprint manufacturers' logos on laminated sheets .

Glazed porcelain

Glazed porcelain was used extensively during the early 20th century as it is durable and able to withstand atmospheric agents .

With the Second World War many porcelain signs were melted to recover the materials.

Cardboard

The signs or rather vintage cardboard billboards were popular in the mid-twentieth century and were used to advertise mainly consumer goods such as soft drinks, sweets, beer.

Neon

Neon signs or plates were introduced at the beginning of the twentieth century, their cost was high and they were fragile, which is why they were produced in small quantities, especially during the 40s and 50s, as  customized neon signs for restaurants, bars, hotels. , and car showrooms .

Epoch

XVII-XVIII century

In Europe and America, the population was mostly illiterate, therefore, there was a tendency to display plaques or figurative signs that identified the type of activity carried out inside the premises, think for example of the poles painted with red, white and blue stripes for the activities of barbers.

More than signs, they were symbols displayed to attract customers .

XVIII century

Simple hand-painted wooden signs of various shapes , square, rectangular or round with a few words begin to appear on the scene , just to communicate what activity was being carried out, such as "Tavern".

Nineteenth century

In the early 19th century, companies began to use hand-painted tin to create billboards as well .

At the end of the 19th century, thanks to the development of new machinery and techniques, it was possible to apply lithographs to the tin sheets , with the consequent development of colored logos that identified the producers. The lithographed tin signs had a great advantage, they could in fact be exposed outside for a long time before rusting, they were therefore much more durable than hand painted ones.

In 1895, thanks to the use of lithography, two companies in the advertising production in Ohio, the Tuscarora Advertising Company and the Standard Advertising Company , began to produce amazing metal plates, such types of plates of this era are today among the most requested by collectors.

20th century

At the beginning of the twentieth century, tin and porcelain were intended to advertise products on plaques and signs , but were also used for the creation of signs for pushing doors, or in the countryside, often with an associated thermometer on signs for inform farmers about the weather.

In the 1920s, the use of tin began to decline, making room for the porcelain that best suited the Art Déco of the time.

The use of porcelain began in Germany in 1880 and was used for the first time in the USA in 1890.

Porcelain was used as durable, capable of withstanding over time and being modeled in different forms.

Using the term "porcelain" turns out to be a bit improper, since it was not the typical clay, used for example in ceramics, even though there was an ingredient in soft-paste porcelain.

The earliest porcelain signs have a heavy laminated iron metal base, to which melted glaze is added layer upon layer. The use of color glazed vitreous porcelain is asserted .

 

Companies such as Enameled Iron Company , Ingram-Richardson and Baltimore Enamel & Novelty used artisans from Europe to produce the glazed porcelain. After the war, in America, the tendency for manufacturers to create brands and logos to distinguish their products takes hold ; the work of the artisans was extremely important in creating hand-painted signs, signs and logos that have made famous brands, such as Coca Cola, for example.

Tennessee Enamel was one of the companies used by manufacturers to produce American-style porcelain signs and Coca Cola was one of them.

During the Second World War, many old signs and plaques were dissolved, including the tin signs.

To date, therefore, these types of vintage signs are highly sought after as they are very rare.

The production of tin signs almost completely ended, just as the high production costs caused, at the end of the 1950s, the decline in the production of porcelain signs. Many porcelain signs that survived World War II have bullet holes as they are often used for target practice.

The twentieth century was also the century that saw the first neon signs , albeit very expensive to make.

The first neon sign appeared in 1912, thanks to a Parisian barber.

In the 1940s and 1950s, neon signs were produced in small quantities mainly for commercial establishments such as bars or restaurants, but also for hotels and car dealerships.

Neon signs were also produced in series for companies such as Budweiser and Coca-Cola and vintage neon signs illuminated with incandescent bulbs for beer companies, such as the famous Hamm's Sceneorama signs .

Typology

We have different types of antique plaques or signs that are today the object of particular attention by collectors.

Particular importance is given to the vintage porcelain signs of the world of oil , automobile , tobacco , as well as those of rural shops and drinks .

From the 1930s to the 1950s, signs were the best form of advertising for beverage companies, and were made with different materials including glazed porcelain, tin, cardboard, wood and glass mounted on wood, think for example of Coca Cola or Pepsi advertising their drinks with short messages with name and logo.

Some of the more desirable advertising signs in the Brewerian sector are the signs placed on the corner of bars, reverse signs on the glass and lithographs with factory scenes of old breweries.

Door pushers are highly sought after, as are authentic porcelain railroad and traffic signs are popular.

Collectors are also looking for antique signs sponsoring upcoming events of the moment, such as the circus, for example.

Collecting antique signs with Roadrelics

If you are looking for antique signs, Roadrelics.com is the online auction portal for the benefit of collectors around the world.

Roadrelics.com offers you the possibility to sell and buy various types of items in total safety and you can start betting starting from just one euro .

The amount of objects you can find on Roadrelics is truly infinite from jewels , paintings , wines , rare books , vintage car models , motorcycles to be restored , as well as antique signs and much more.

Roadrelics offers 50,000 lots a week , enjoys an international audience and has a whopping 14 million visitors a month!

Rare and exclusive objects carefully selected by expert specialists , about 200, which guarantee not only the selection but also the quality of the objects.

If you are lucky to win the item of your wishes, you will receive a confirmation email with an attached payment request, sellers are required to ship the item within 3 working days of payment.

The transactions are fast and secure -backed Roadrelics because the auction house carries out checks and offers guarantees sellers and buyers.