Vintage Metal Signs Bring A Touch Of Nostalgia - By: Mike O Brien

In this modern era of mass marketing, we are bombarded by
electronic messages. After awhile, advertising and promotions
all start to sound, feel and look the same. There was a time
when the perfect combination of artistry, imagination and
originality could be found in vintage metal and tin signs. Many
of todays most recognizable brand names got their start as metal
signs.

Products too numerous to mention have been promoted with a style
and wit that today seems all too nostalgic. Vintage tin and
metal signs were produced by the hundreds of thousands from the
mid eighteen hundreds through the advent of television in the
late nineteen forties. Most were painted or screen printed using
enamel paint and many were given a porcelain overcoat to
increase their durability. The irony of all this is that many
vintage metal signs outlived the very companies and products
they were meant to promote.

This is not say that metal signs have completely disappeared
from the landscape. Highways signs, street signs and metal signs
of kinds are still with us, though most serve a more utilitarian
purpose. The golden age of vintage metal signs has been
maintained through reproductions and the zeal of collectors to
preserve a piece of advertising and artistic history.

Aging metal and tin signs that have begun to rust should never
be refinished. Vintage metal signs that are in good condition
are highly prized by collectors. A little rust may devalue the
sign just a bit, but the nostalgic value is priceless. When
buying any type of antique or collectible signs, the well
informed collector must be able to know the difference between
vintage metal signs and reproductions. The rule is always buyer
beware.

Reproductions of famous metal signs can be found almost
everywhere. Even though they are not true antiques, quality
reproductions of metal and tin signs are a great way to accent
the decorating theme of your home or business.

Many companies would provide merchants with durable metal and
tin signs in order to promote their products. Among the most
popular collectible signs are those that have anything to do
with Coca Cola. Coke was able to create their brand by extensive
promotion. From big cities to rural farming communities,
merchants who offered Coke products for sale may have had
several metal signs advertising that fact.

Manufacturers of tractors and other farm equipment produced
metal signs that were often fixtures at general stores, Grange
halls and feed stores all over the country. Companies such as
John Deere, International Harvester and Ford produced many
styles of metal signs. These farm equipment signs are favorites
among collectors of items that reflect classic Americana.

The great outdoors and the sporting life are amply represented
by a number of famous brand names. Metal signs from Winchester,
Remington and other gun producers helped to create these now
famous brand names. Much of the illustrative artwork used for
this genre was produced by some of the best known artists and
illustrators of the day. The combination of beauty nature
illustrations and catchy slogans make metal depicting the
growing market in sporting goods.

No discussion of vintage metal and tin signs is complete without
looking at the automobile industry. The famous slogan used by
the Packard Company, ask the man who owns one, was made popular
in prints ads and was emblazoned on a variety of metal signs.
Other early car manufacturers such as Studebaker, Desoto, Dodge
and Ford produced metal signs that are clearly classics.

Whether advertising or just for decoration, metal and tin signs
have a long history and provide us with a glimpse of the past.

In this modern era of mass marketing, we are bombarded by
electronic messages. After awhile, advertising and promotions
all start to sound, feel and look the same. There was a time
when the perfect combination of artistry, imagination and
originality could be found in vintage metal and tin signs.

Shop for metal and tin signs at href="http://www.finewebstores.com/Metal-Signs_c_44.html">http://
www.finewebstores.com/Metal-Signs_c_44.html for your home or
office.