{"id":11591,"date":"2022-06-14T09:30:06","date_gmt":"2022-06-14T07:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=2998"},"modified":"2022-06-14T09:54:12","modified_gmt":"2022-06-14T07:54:12","slug":"collecting-antique-vintage-signs","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/collecting-antique-vintage-signs\/","title":{"rendered":"Collecting antique & vintage signs"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Joe Feehily\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 14 June 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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\u2018Advertising ephemera and shop signage are as popular as ever,\u2019 says Kath Hazell of The French House in York, specialist dealers in French antiques and vintage wares. \u2018We\u2019ve always been interested in signs, and we buy across the board,\u2019 she says. \u2018Old advertising signs<\/a> are popular with serious collectors and more generally, too. We find we can pick them up all over the place, especially in France, but prices for examples in really good condition can be eye-wateringly expensive.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Jo Henderson photography<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Over the years, Kath and her husband Stephen have refined what they buy \u2013 with French advertising ephemera, signs and shop fittings, familiarity is key. \u2018We found a metal sign for the aperitif Suze, which we thought people would love, but the brand wasn\u2019t especially well-known in the UK. We\u2019ve learned to be selective,\u2019 she says. They have found that names that are already well established here, such as Ricard, Orangina or Perrier, or signs that feature vocabulary that is familiar from school, tend to be more popular.<\/p>\n

Although the current trend for industrial vintage<\/a> explains a spike in sales, Hazell thinks the perennial appeal of old enamel<\/a> signs is nostalgic. \u2018Anything to do with trades that no longer exist sells well,\u2019 she observes. \u2018These signs and shop fittings are slices of history.\u2019 And in pure design terms, she continues, \u2018people are always fascinated by unusual or old-fashioned typography.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Italian sign from a bank in Milan c1900, from The French House in York<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Lucy St George, co-founder of Rockett St George, agrees. \u2018Typography is timeless,\u2019 she says. \u2018It\u2019s always evolving and appearing in our homes in different forms.\u2019 She cites the recent surge in the popularity of neon as an example. Once the rarified preserve of collectors of conceptual art, or dismissed as \u2018dodgy diner artwork\u2019, she\u2019s thrilled by its revival in recent years.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s lighting collection includes a number of designs influenced by advertising. \u2018What I love about using neon lights and vintage signs in the home is how playful and humorous it can be,\u2019 St George says. \u2018It instantly adds character \u2013 the cheekier the saying the better!\u2019<\/p>\n

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Metal street sign c1950, from The French House in York<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Where to buy vintage signs<\/h2>\n