This Coca-Cola sign was made in 1948 by Edwards & Deutsch Lith Co. One option used by Coca-Cola were cardboard signs. Printed during the war in 1944, it features two young woman pointing to the area on the globe where their men are serving.Īfter WWII, signs had to be made more inexpensively. It was shrink wrapped onto an acid-free backing board. This Coca-Cola sign is printed on cardboard and measures 20” x 36”.

It measures 71.5” x 35.75 and has some dents and surface rust, but is still a nice piece for a collector. This 1939 Coca-Cola sign remains in the wooden frame in which it was originally shipped. While is is slightly warped along the bottom, it is still in good condition for its age. ** Stothers Chest & Lung Mixture Sign** This vintage sign was likely made in the 1940s. It measures 34” x 12” and was likely manufactured in the 1930s or 1940s. This vintage Chesterfield Cigarettes sign was found hanging on the side of a shed at a gas station in North Carolina. Despite its flaws, it is still a valuable collectors item. It measures 24” x 7” and has chips in the porcelain and rust on the base. This vintage sign is porcelain over metal and was manufactured for Canada Dry Beverages. It was likely manufactured in the 1950s.Ĭadbury’s chocolate is a favorite in Europe, which is likely where this antique painted enamel sign was made. This is an antique neon sign from a Buick car dealership. It measures 14” x 22” and is in great shape for its age. This is a heavy steel and porcelain double sided sign. It is believed to have been made in the 1940s and measures approximately 20” x 9”. This is a rare sign from Hrobak’s Beverages in Philadelphia. These posters were eye-catching and colorful and could be easily changed when new models were introduced.

In the 1950s, car dealerships used posters like this one as indoor signage. This sign is still faily shiny, but does have a few chips and some rust spots. This is a large metal Southwestern Bell sign, measuring approximately 28” to 30” tall and 19” to 20” wide. It measures 20” x 18” and was manufactured in 1963 by Stout Sign Co. This 7up sign is stamped metal and is painted with enamel paint. It is believed to have been manufactured in the 1950s or 1960s by the Indiana Wire and Specialty Company of Indianapolis, Indiana and measures 12” x 12”. This vintage 7up sign was made to be attached to the rods of a wire display inside a store. Rare and Unusual Antique, Vintage and Retro Signs 35 Beautiful Vintage and Retro Photoshop Tutorials.Celebration of Vintage and Retro Design.Often vintage signs are stamped with the date they were manufactured, while other times research and knowledge about antique signs may be required to discern a real antique from a knockoff.

There is a huge market for vintage signs and collectors must be wary of distressed reproductions. After WWII, “enamel” signs were simply enamel paint on a metal, usually tin, base. More of these types of signs remain, but they are often rusted, scratched and distressed. Signs were later made of tin and other materials and painted with enamel paint. After the war, the signs were too expensive to manufacture, so we are left with only the dazzling pieces that remain from the era. Many of the signs were vandalized, discarded due to etching or crazing in the finish or melted down for the metal during World War II. Collectors pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars for each addition to their collections. Now it is difficult to find antique porcelain enamel signs in excellent condition. Later, when porcelain enamel became too costly, tin bases were used instead of steel. Early designs were stenciled, but American designers switched to silkscreens and started using a steel base instead of iron. Around 1900, designers experimented with bold colors and graphics on the signs and they were used to advertise everything from cigarettes and beer to farm equipment and tires. They quickly became a staple of outdoor advertising across the country. Porcelain enamel signs originated in Germany and were imported into the U.S. Signs made this way were known as porcelain enamel signs or simply enamel signs. This process made them durable and weather-resistant. In the U.S., most outdoor signs made between 1890 and and 1950 were constructed of a base of heavy rolled iron, which was die cut into the desired shape, then coated with layers of colored powdered glass and fired in a kiln.

Vintage european farm silo