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.
South Country Antiques
Vintage Advertising For Sale Sign
£ 225
South Country Antiques
VINTAGE VACANCIES ILLUMINATED SIGN
£ 175
Time to Admire Ltd
Vintage Cast Iron Novelty Sign "Yorkshireman"
£ 150
Elmgarden Antiques
Automobile Petrol Measure, R Walker & Co., Liverpool
£ 895
Elmgarden Antiques
A Charming Victorian Postcard or Stationery Stand
£ 1,500
Elmgarden Antiques
A Mid 20th Century Masons Ironstone Ham Stand
£ 300
Elmgarden Antiques
Chadwick’s Sewing Cottons Haberdashery Display Case
£ 650
Elmgarden Antiques
Traditional Large Iron Hanging Pub Sign. The Boot
£ 650
Time to Admire Ltd
Original & Authentic Vintage Metal Ministry of Transport Vehicle Testing Station Sign
£ 225
Original & Authentic Vintage Metal Ministry of Transport Vehicle Testing Station Sign
£ 225
Time to Admire Ltd
Georgian Antiques
Framed McVitie Advert
£ 400
D and A Binder LTD
1930s Oak Watchmaker’s Cabinet
£ 720
D and A Binder LTD
Watchmaker’s Cabinet by Manoah Rhodes & Sons Ltd
£ 720
Time to Admire Ltd
Original & Authentic Vintage Metal Calor Gas Advertising Sign
£ 185
Dandelion Stone Troughs & Architectural Antiques
Pair of Cast Iron Textile Maker's Plates
£ 580
Pair of Cast Iron Textile Maker's Plates
£ 580
Dandelion Stone Troughs & Architectural Antiques
Dandelion Stone Troughs & Architectural Antiques
Lancashire Boiler House Enamel Sign
£ 680
Dandelion Stone Troughs & Architectural Antiques
Cast Iron North Eastern Railway Sign
£ 580
Dandelion Stone Troughs & Architectural Antiques
London & North Western Railway Cast Iron Sign
£ 280
London & North Western Railway Cast Iron Sign
£ 280
Dandelion Stone Troughs & Architectural Antiques
Dandelion Stone Troughs & Architectural Antiques
Great Western Cast Iron Sign
£ 280
Dandelion Stone Troughs & Architectural Antiques
Great Northern & Great Eastern Cast Iron Railway Sign
£ 580
Great Northern & Great Eastern Cast Iron Railway Sign
£ 580
Dandelion Stone Troughs & Architectural Antiques
Dandelion Stone Troughs & Architectural Antiques
Rectangular Great Eastern Cast Iron Sign
£ 380
Rectangular Great Eastern Cast Iron Sign
£ 380
Dandelion Stone Troughs & Architectural Antiques
Dandelion Stone Troughs & Architectural Antiques
Rectangular Cast Iron Victorian Police Station Sign
£ 680
Rectangular Cast Iron Victorian Police Station Sign
£ 680
Dandelion Stone Troughs & Architectural Antiques
Dandelion Stone Troughs & Architectural Antiques
GREAT RAILWAY CAST-IRON SIGN
£ 280
Dandelion Stone Troughs & Architectural Antiques
RAILWAY CAST-IRON SIGN
£ 380
Time to Admire Ltd
Original Cast Iron Railway Crossing Sign
£ 250
Time to Admire Ltd
Scarce Vintage Solid Brass CO-OP Sign
£ 195
South Country Antiques
Antique Enamel Sign Blue Bell Tabacco, Antique Shop Sign
£ 325
South Country Antiques
Vintage Industrial Sign, Federation Of Air Line Pilots
£ 195
Fife Antiques
Large Wrought Iron Shop Sign Bracket
£ 225
Elmgarden Antiques
A Lyons Sweet Shop Chocolate Dispensing Cabinet
£ 395
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Original Inaugural 1930 World Cup Poster
£ 3,850
B Southgate
Vintage English Trade Sign
£ 345
21st Century Gallery
Poster by Joan Miro Advertising an Exhibition at Galalerie Maeght Lelong FIAC 85 at the Grand Palais, Paris
£ 70
Poster by Joan Miro Advertising an Exhibition at Galalerie Maeght Lelong FIAC 85 at the Grand Palais, Paris
£ 70
21st Century Gallery
21st Century Gallery
Poster for an Exhibition in 1986 'la Danseuse au Cheval' by Fernand Leger. Offset Litho Printed in France
£ 70
Poster for an Exhibition in 1986 'la Danseuse au Cheval' by Fernand Leger. Offset Litho Printed in France
£ 70
21st Century Gallery
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Olympic Games Munich 1972 Limited Edition Signed Jacob Lawrence
£ 3,950
Olympic Games Munich 1972 Limited Edition Signed Jacob Lawrence
£ 3,950
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Munich 1972 Olympic Games Edition 'Spirale' Emblem Official Poster
£ 4,250
Munich 1972 Olympic Games Edition 'Spirale' Emblem Official Poster
£ 4,250
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
South Country Antiques
Antique Scottish Plaque of Robert Burns, Plaser Plaque
£ 145
South Country Antiques
1920s Antique Advertising Board, Antique Brighton Sign,
£ 65
South Country Antiques
Vintage Wooden Sign, Vintage Notice Sign, Salvage Sign
£ 255
Trade Antiques
2 American Indians Advertising Statues Tobacconist
£ 2,250
Debenham Antiques Ltd
Mid 20th Century Vintage BP Memorabilia Oil Dispenser
£ 395
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.
