Old advertising is a fantastic way to peek into the social and business worlds of the past. Usually vibrant, clever, witty and artistically accomplished these works of art were created for one purpose only- to grab your attention and sell ! Early examples were usually painted onto wood, carved out of wood or printed. In 1816 the invention of two-colour lithography meant bright colours could finally be added to printed adverts and posters and then the invention of enamel signs from the 1860s onwards further revolutionised how people publicised their wares around the built environment.
Today antique and vintage advertising is as desirable as ever and looks great displayed on the wall. From hard wearing signs to fragile posters these items add character and are chocked full of the fashions and fads of the day. On a more personal scale business trade cards and labels have remained popular for hundreds of years but during the 19th Century the variety of ways to advertise grew to include far more unusual objects such as mirrors, bottles, match boxes and all manner of novelty items. This continued into the 20th Century to leave us a wealth of fantastic advertising objects.
At Love Antiques we have a fine selection of antique and vintage advertising for all your needs.
£ 995
Cheshire Antiques Consultant
British Rare Brass Famous Auctioneers Plaque Advertising Sign Christie's
£ 2500
British Rare Brass Famous Auctioneers Plaque Advertising Sign Christie's
£ 2500
Cheshire Antiques Consultant
That Vintage Place Ltd
1920's Egg Dispatch Box
£ 70
Cheshire Antiques Consultant
Collectible Enamel Exterior Austin Car Old Garage Workshop Repair Wall Sign
£ 499
Collectible Enamel Exterior Austin Car Old Garage Workshop Repair Wall Sign
£ 499
Cheshire Antiques Consultant
That Vintage Place Ltd
Edwardian Colmans Mustard & Starch Box
£ 145
That Vintage Place Ltd
The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes Masonic Lodge Sign
£ 160
£ 495
That Vintage Place Ltd
Original Vintage Pre 1971 Granada Queue Stand
£ 145
£ 225
Lovely 1920s / 1930s Double Sided Enamel Gilbey's Wines & Spirits Advertising Sign
£ 225
Mantiques Bazaar
That Vintage Place Ltd
Rare Old Nestle Display Stand for Milky Bar Chocolate
£ 125
£ 335
That Vintage Place Ltd
Stunning Original Cadbury Box Advertising
£ 95
That Vintage Place Ltd
Phillips Rubber Soles & Heels Advertising Shop Display
£ 165
That Vintage Place Ltd
Stunning Dainty Bits Advertising Tin
£ 125
That Vintage Place Ltd
Original Bluebell Enamel Sign
£ 175
£ 275
Cheshire Antiques Consultant
Rare Antique Canadian Trans Pacific Ships Advertising Poster Framed Showcard
£ 2500
Rare Antique Canadian Trans Pacific Ships Advertising Poster Framed Showcard
£ 2500
Cheshire Antiques Consultant
That Vintage Place Ltd
Hudson Silver Arrow Bicycles
£ 95
That Vintage Place Ltd
Valet Original Enamel Sign
£ 175
That Vintage Place Ltd
Foresters Collection Tin
£ 95
That Vintage Place Ltd
Original Ethyl Enamel Sign
£ 195
That Vintage Place Ltd
Antique Stockman's Mannequin
£ 95
Graham Smith Antiques Ltd
Victorian Oak Framed Pub Mirror
£ 1095
£ 845
£ 1950
£ 1650
Antique and Unique
Antique Argyle Theatre Billboard Playbill Poster Dated 1889
£ 235
Allsorts Antiques and Collectibles
Shop Advertising Figure
£ 175
Allsorts Antiques and Collectibles
1960s B M A Car Badge
£ 75
Museum of Treasure
Original Movie Poster 1965 Lord Jim with Peter O'Toole
£ 115
Museum of Treasure
Me & The Colonel Original 1958 Movie Film Poster Danny Kaye
£ 115
Cheshire Antiques Consultant
Heraldic Double Headed Eagle On Crown Crossed Swords Coat Of Arms Wall Plaque
£ 500
Heraldic Double Headed Eagle On Crown Crossed Swords Coat Of Arms Wall Plaque
£ 500
Cheshire Antiques Consultant
Indigojollyphant Antiques
Rare Antique 1920s Samuel Thompson & Sons of Smethwick Maltings Advertising Double Brass Inkwell
£ 245
Rare Antique 1920s Samuel Thompson & Sons of Smethwick Maltings Advertising Double Brass Inkwell
£ 245
Indigojollyphant Antiques
Panache
Snuff Tin - Van Der Cruyssen
£ 30
D and A Binder LTD
Vintage Mirror Pub Toilet Sign
£ 108
£ 555
£ 495
£ 2250
Elmgarden
Oxo Cube Tin Shop Display Dispenser
£ 475
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
20th Century Glass Chemist Sign
£ 460
Vintage Advertising Antiques FAQs
When did advertising become popular?
People have been advertising their wares for thousands of years scratching into bricks and painting wooden signs and pottery. However the emergence of the printing press meant that from the 17th Century onwards printed advertising became cheap and easy to produce through newspapers, gazettes, magazines, flyers, and journals. Better quality images through copper plate processes emerged from the mid 18th Century and colour tones began to be printed from the start of the 19th Century. While the approach to advertising has not really changed over the years, the sheer quantity has, in part due to even more mediums emerging such as radio, television and internet.
What are the most popular vintage advertisement items?
Most collectors of old advertising are drawn to the works for their own unique reasons, either because of the subject, Era or artwork. Enamel signs and posters are the most popular fields collected due to their variety and versatility. In each case condition and rarity determine the price, but all forms of advertising are collected from labels, cards and signs to far more unusual novelty items.
What is the oldest antique advertisement item?
The first known purpose made advertisements were written onto Papyrus and date to at least 3000 B.C from ancient Egypt. However people will have been scratching their shop or business name on to wood or clay even before that.
Why does retro advertising create nostalgia?
In an era when marketing focuses primarily on the future, the purpose of retro advertising art is to transport us back to the past where life is simpler. This type of advertising tells us about the fashions, fads and innovations from years gone by. If we were alive at that time it can remind us of who we were at the time, and if the advert is older than us we can still be transported in our mind to that other era.