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.
Cloverleaf Home Interiors
Sign Folk Art Shop Sign Metal Original Advertising c.1900
£ 425
Antiques & Chic
Advertising Enamel Sign
£ 185
Treehouse Antiques
Antique Floor Standing Terrestrial Globe
£ 1,295
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Religious Enamel Sign Pope Vatican City State
£ 2,000
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Edwardian Enamel Copper London Road Sign Borough of St Marylebone Chiltern Street W1
£ 1,500
Edwardian Enamel Copper London Road Sign Borough of St Marylebone Chiltern Street W1
£ 1,500
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
£ 350
£ 1,250
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Iconic 1971 Large Original Framed Poster 'Bullfighting Alacete, Spain'
£ 1,450
Iconic 1971 Large Original Framed Poster 'Bullfighting Alacete, Spain'
£ 1,450
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Harry Raine Antiques
Early 20th Century Walnut Shop Display Cabinet / Shop Fitting / Show Case
£ 1,100
Early 20th Century Walnut Shop Display Cabinet / Shop Fitting / Show Case
£ 1,100
Harry Raine Antiques
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Livery J Miles & Son Dorchester Hand Painted Shop Sign Master Saddlers
£ 2,000
Livery J Miles & Son Dorchester Hand Painted Shop Sign Master Saddlers
£ 2,000
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Antiques & Chic
Lyons Tea Advertising Enamel Sign
£ 135
Antiques & Chic
Campari Advertising Enamel Sign
£ 135
Antiques & Chic
Advertising Enamel Sign
£ 135
Antiques & Chic
Cinema Enamel Sign
£ 135
Trade Antiques
Shop Display Robertsons Set Height 16 Inch
£ 585
Robert Pagden Antiques
Antique Jolly Joe Money Bank
£ 95
Antiques-Interiors
Large Stoneware Bottle Ref 71h101
£ 65
£ 1,250
Elmgarden
Oxo Cube Tin Shop Display Dispenser
£ 475
£ 1,250
The Old Yard
Large Early 20th C. Wood Shop Advertising Sign
£ 950
£ 2,250
£ 250
Elmgarden
Large Opaline Glass Coffee Bar Sign
£ 1,250
Sunnyside Antiques
Artwork for ‘Mintesers’ - Original Illustration
£ 598
artsncraftsfurniture
Militant Exhibition Catalogue
£ 45
artsncraftsfurniture
Stealing Beauty - British Design
£ 135
£ 375
Whites Antiques
Grand Scale Bespoke Sign with Brass Letters Costume
£ 2,425
artsncraftsfurniture
Tintern Abbey Official Guide
£ 20
£ 150
NP & A SALT ANTIQUES
A Royal Insurance Motor Enamel Sign
£ 295
Red Bus Art
Genevieve Original Advertisement
£ 135
Antiques & Chic
James Purdey & Sons Enamel Sign
£ 675
£ 775
Red Bus Art
1950s Cofranc Motor Oil Advertising Poster
£ 150
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
Shell Motor Spirit Enamel Automobilia Sign
£ 300
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
William IV Salesman’s Sample of a Mahogany Pedestal Table
£ 250
William IV Salesman’s Sample of a Mahogany Pedestal Table
£ 250
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
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.