keens painted horse farm sign
Folk Art trade sign for Keen's Painted Horse Farm...2 sided and original condition.1950's
I have a nice collection of Trade Signs that we have acquired over the last 40 years..They consist of cow and horse heads, fisk sign, a large pistol, base guitar, large frying pan and many more..Most are figural and very old……I will get some photos of these hopefully soon….…
Folk Art trade sign for Keen's Painted Horse Farm...2 sided and original condition.1950's
1900's trade sign gun pistol made from wood
old vintage top hat trade sign for hats
straw prop used in a theatrical play in Chicago, appox 6' tall and has its own shipping crate ....
Vintage snake charmer trade display sign , approx. 40" tall, 30" wide and 5' long
Old Trade sign for Smetna Drugs zinc Mortar & Pestal , made of zinc with original paint
Old 1 piece glass hardware trade sign globe, 2 sided "MY COLLECTION"
Old Mazda light bulb display complete in working order
Old trade wood key sign , approx. 5' wide
OLD Kellogg pay station ,reverse lit jeweled sign
OLD t horse head zinc trade sign...in my collection
OLD hardware punched tin sign made by Mc Savney , with original makers tag, excellent condition
Old hand carved Fish trade sign for bait store
Old eye glasses optometrist trade sign, with hand forged stell frame and original paint on wood eyeballs, 2 sided
Old Electric stock cane shocker trade sign,made by , C&H Specialty Co., Grabill Indiana
OLD Denuzie Jeweled sign, 2 sided, original paint, missing a few jewels
OLD crown trade sign for kings
OLD Dr. Warners Health Corset trade sign patent dated 1877
old bass guitar sign, full size steel and it a trade sign
OLD trade sign barber pole, original paint SOLD
made from wood and i'd estimate from the 1960's...nice condition .Indian Trading Post, Roundup Montana......
animated snake charmer that is working great.....motor turn in bottom of unit makes snake go up and down....i animated snake charmer the guys rocks forward and back....rather large at approx. 4' x 7'.....
original label on back dated 1913 ?? very close date, its in a different location, and i'm going by memeory... however this is near mint and very early, everything original early teens.......SOLD ""
sign is 29" x 54", frame and background are made of wood and horse is made of metal...bottom line says Walpole N.H.
Hay for sale, Registered Holstein Cow sign..2 sided and very used, however it has a great look
great hand painted and signed folky type of all wood sign..has great patina and subject is great...
This display is the baby (smallest) one of these types of light bulb displays......still has the original old light bulbs........"MY COLLECTION" !!!!
..."MY COLLECTION"
this wood stop sign is very old with original large jewels, excellent condition
very old Cow 2 headed rug, all original, very rare Collectible Signs
this sign is 2 sided with glass lenses and each side is a different color...probably from the late 1800's "SOLD"
This Cigar or Souvenir store life size Indian is very old and came out of GranRapids Minnesota....I have a post card of it in the 1950's, however the story was it was carved for a store in the Wisconsin Dells much earlier and was purchased from a Souvenir store in Grand Rapids and used as a trade sign........Its very heavy wood, no cracks and is very old...It was repainted many years ago as it sat outside for display... "In My Collection"
a great wood, with oil lamps, and Indian Head is made from a heavy chalk and mounted on a heavy canvas......."MY COLLECTION"
great sign cloth banner for OshKosh B'gosh Overalls with 6' tall wood Uncle Sam holding the cloth banner
Old smoking Pipes display
Old wood sign advertising Pool Hall...rather large @ approx. 8'-10' wide
Old lamp made from Popsicle sticks
In its original box this is from Advertising Novelties Newark N.J.....from the Whtehead & Hoag Company Badges, Buttons, Flags & Advertising Novelties
Old & complete salesman sample garage door
old and excellent condition Saddle Makers Bench
Approx. 6' tall Totem Pole
Two side Trade Sign advertising Mortar & Pestal, Smetna Drugs , from Minnesota....(in Our Collection)
Rare old embroidery cloth Sperry Flour Sign
1909 Koken Zinc Barber Pole with cast iron base...original & old........Vintage Signs, Old Signs, Antique Signs "SOLD"
This is about as fancy as a Barber Pole gets..Approx 9' tall with glass globes that says Barber Shop"In My Collection".............Vintage Signs, Old Signs, Antique Signs
Approx. 6 wood Barber Pole...missing glass globe
Vintage Signs, Old Signs, Antique Signs
This Porcelain, Stained Glass Barber Pole has the Koken brass tag....Vintage Signs, Old Signs, Antique Signs....In My Collection
approx. 7-8' tall this porcelain barber pole is very nice condition.....Vintage Signs, Old Signs, Antique Signs....."In My Collection"
Rotating cylinder Barber Pole that' is lighted from inside...excellent condition., however the globe base is cracked & a piece missing,,,,,Vintage Signs, Old Signs, Antique Signs
Great graphics & I think it has gold leaf lettering & some on Tiger...Tiger Transplanter Wood Sign
2 sided Jug Liquor Shop sign,Has a Metal Can, Wood faces & 2 dimensional wood letters that stand 2" from the face
This Mortar & Pestles is killer....has stained glass, jewels and i believe made of zinc or metal....It has been retrofitted from gas to electric but could easily returned to gas
Probably one of the most common and certainly one of the oldest types of advertising out there are trade signs. As commerce expanded, the usage of trade signs slowly developed into what we are familiar with today – modern day figuralsigns of all kinds. From early dark and middle ages, till now, trade signs slowly gained their popularity and increased the reputation of owners.
The design changed too, but what remained the same in every era is the predominance of unique symbols and logos typical for every era. These early Vintage Trade signs represented business’s like Dentists, Boot-makers, Pawn shops, Meat Shops, Millinery buildings, Horse Traders. Also Glasses & Optician Stores, Doctor Offices, Glove Makers, Shoe Makers, Cafe’s, Hotels, Billiard Parlors, Pharmacies, Hardware Stores, Grocery Stores. Also Gun, Pistol, Rifles Ammunition, Veterinarians. Furthermore Barber Shops, Pretzel Stores, Candy Stores, Hats, Lunch, Restaurants, Flowers, Beauty Shops, Clothing Stores, Bicycle Shops, Pork, Clock & Watch Makers. Also Padlock, Blacksmith, Taverns, Furs, Drug Stores, Books, Cigars, and many more.
Some of the history of Museum’s can be seen here Poole History of Trade Signs Roadside America is another good source. Also Pinterest has a great selection of old photographs of these types of signs Brooklyn Museum
usually a good Trade Sign meant good advertising, and therefore more income and increased reputation for those who offered different kinds of services. The importance of these signs can be found in the importance of all we cant imagine our lives without. That is why throughout history we can come across many different trade signs; tailors, pharmacists, dentists, butchers, bakers, blacksmiths, brewers, shoemakers, perfume makers, gunsmiths, locksmiths, pottery makers, watchmakers, fishermen signs, to different kinds of specialized shops, like specialised coffee and tea making shops, DIY shops, carpenters, painters, builders, rug makers, jewelry makers and many more .
Furthermore materials used for these signs varied so we have many rustic wood signs, carefully hand-carved, usually with very detailed design. Also we also see wrought iron and guild signs, as well as gold leafing tradesigns, varying in size and shape. Also Guild signs especially played an important role in the history of tradesigns. we can find many iron guild signs in the shape of a boot, scissors, fish, sewing machine, coffee, plate, watch, pig, bottle and many others.
Iron played a great role in the history of tradesigns. Also the invention of the printing press changed the process of making tradesigns forever. As society developed wood, iron, expansion of colors usage in the process of making glass. Also printing, carving and hand carving combined with modern technologies, adding plastic and neon lights to the fine design of these signs.
Nowadays, we have not only the mixture of the materials mentioned, but moderntradesigns include variations in style, dating from different eras, so some signs are purposefully vintage, while some are distinctively modern and minimalistic. The tradesigns reached their peak in the second half of 20th century, with advanced graphic design and improved printing. With the invention of neon lights and PVC, tradesigns became what we know them to be today.
Nowadays we can still see tradesigns out on the streets. These signs in their more traditional form are rare to find. Therefore they are an important part of every vintage signs collection.