Sunday, March 24, 2013

Discover The Secrets Of Vintage Advertising Signs

By Ann Jordan


Advertising forms a vital part of every business nowadays; when one compares how advertisements have grown from past eras, it is quite overwhelming. In the late 18th century, it was done in the form of Victorian trading cards and that certainly is a far cry from the huge electronic commercials of today; but one thing that stands out is the fact that adverts are an integral part of people's daily lives. Vintage advertising signs are in huge demand from avid collectors that want them merely due to their colorful artistic appeal.

In the late 19th and earlier 20th centuries porcelain signage became a popular material used to create gorgeous boldly colored adverts. This was largely due to it being not only weather resistant but also extremely durable. Big name companies such as various soda companies, cigars and motor oil firms used this medium to make consumers aware of their products. During World War II, many of this porcelain signage was destroyed, making them very rare to find and therefore highly collectable.

Likewise during this exact time period several businesses also used tin; it was much cheaper than porcelain and therefore was more commonly used by smaller businesses. However, tin signage would deteriorate quicker as they were prone to rusting. Therefore if one is able to find any, it is hugely possible that they will be in poor condition; this has not dampened the enthusiasm of collectors though and if a mint condition one is found it is worth quite a bit of money.

Besides these "billboard" adverts, companies made use of other unique methods of drawing in consumers. Celluloid pin backs were also widely used; it was a cheap button that could be displayed by being worn on clothing items. Pin backs given out were largely to encourage people to recognize brands and were usually part of cigarette company campaigns. One other usage is during political rallies and campaigning where these "buttons" were handed out; it is still used for this these days.

A world renowned soda manufacturer upped their efforts by incorporating every day useful items into their advertisements. This came about when they realized that posters and other methods of advertising had a relatively short lifespan. They developed a method whereby normal items, for example wall clocks, yearly calendars, thermometers and mirrors could be branded with their image and name brand; making the items not only useful but easy to display as well.

Many of these items can still be found hanging in small stores simply due to the fact that they serve a useful purpose. What most collectors of these types of items look for are items that are still "brand new" or hardly used. However, there are a few limited edition items in this category that are sought after.

Tobacco tins, older pull and push door signage, salesman samples, crate labels and beer trays are also very collectable items. What attracts many people is the tongue in cheek humor encountered in these older ads. Their colorful drawings were designed to cleverly depicting the company's message.

Vintage advertising signs are actually a fundamental part of commerce history. These items indicate how things have changed. Most offer a full glimpse into past lifestyles.




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