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Tin signs came into widespread use in the 1920s, as a cheaper alternative to porcelain signs, used to advertise everything from gasoline to soda pop. Tin proved a good material to paint or to use with color lithography, and could also be stamped to achieve some texture.
The outbreak of WW2 halted tin sign production (in fact, many signs were melted down to be used in the war effort), and tin's reappearance after the war was short lived (replaced by steel and later plastic). Be careful when buying vintage tin signs: they were prone to rust, which can greatly reduce value, and are also easy to reproduce.
I liked to collect things even as a child. Things that didn’t cost anything, like different colors of stone… [more]
I started off collecting comics, and still do, but I’d been given a few early Disney pinbacks as a child an… [more]
How did I get started collecting advertising antiques? My dad was a lecturer and tutor in graphics and art fr… [more]
This classy looking British site features hundreds of high resolution photos of antique porcelain pre-war (enamel) … [read review or visit site]
If you're the type who pulls over when you see a 'historic marker ahead' sign, you'll love this site. Orchestrated … [read review or visit site]
Duke University's library has pulled together an impressive collection of over 7,000 ads printed in U.S. and Canadi… [read review or visit site]
From the Nostlagia Factory in Virginia comes this celebration of 'mid-century automotive advertising illustrations'… [read review or visit site]
This group artistic effort to catalog the signs of Pittsburgh captures many vintage signs (porcelain, neon, wood, t… [read review or visit site]
Ian House's gallery of early 20th Century American package designs. Browse the exhibits in slide show mode or view … [read review or visit site]
Ralph and Carol Falvo's excellent collection of automobiles, petroliana, jukeboxes, soda, and general store items. … [read review or visit site]
Sam Baker's excellent collection of vintage Ford porcelain and neon signs and related memorabilia from the 1920s an… [read review or visit site]
Paula Zargaj-Reynolds’ blog, an extensive collection of 20th century vintage advertising, is a visual feast. Scro… [read review or visit site]
Great reference on ephemera... includes examples and descriptions of various ephemera categories, selected special … [read review or visit site]
This gallery of cigarette magazine advertising from the 1940s and 50s contains no surgeon general's warning, just p… [read review or visit site]
Marty Weil's wide-ranging, in-depth blog on ephemera, including lots of great interviews with ephemera collectors. … [read review or visit site]
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