28 Old Advertising Signs That Sell Fast at Auction
Painted tin, porcelain enamel, and neon signage once covered the sides of general stores, gas stations, and diners across the country. Most of it was scrapped decades ago, which is exactly why the surviving examples, particularly porcelain signs that could withstand weather, are now genuinely valuable to collectors of Americana and advertising history.
Condition is critical: chips, rust, and fading dramatically affect value, and reproductions are common enough that provenance and manufacturing details matter for serious buyers.
Coca-Cola Porcelain Signs (Pre-1930s)
Early Coca-Cola advertising signage, particularly porcelain examples from before the 1930s, is among the most collected advertising material in the country, with rare shapes and sizes commanding substantial premiums.
Standard Oil Porcelain Signs
Early 20th-century Standard Oil signage, especially before the company’s 1911 antitrust breakup, is prized by collectors of petroleum-related Americana.
Texaco Star Signs
The iconic Texaco star logo appeared on porcelain signage throughout the early-to-mid 20th century, and well-preserved examples remain popular among gas station memorabilia collectors.
Mobil Pegasus Signs
The flying red horse logo used by Mobil, particularly on large porcelain signage from the mid-20th century, is a heavily collected symbol of American automotive history.
Route 66 Related Signage
Original signage from businesses along the historic Route 66 corridor, including motels and diners, is collected both for its advertising history and its connection to American road-trip culture.
Vintage Neon Signs
Neon signage manufactured by early specialists, particularly examples from the 1930s through 1950s still functioning or restorable, commands strong prices due to the labor-intensive nature of neon restoration.
Buster Brown Shoes Porcelain Signs
Featuring the popular early 20th-century comic strip character, these advertising signs are collected both for shoe industry history and comic character memorabilia crossover appeal.
Vintage Feed Store Signage
Porcelain and tin advertising from farm feed and grain suppliers, particularly brands with distinctive mascot logos, is collected as part of the broader category of agricultural and rural Americana.
Sinclair Dino Signs
Sinclair Oil’s dinosaur mascot signage, particularly larger porcelain examples from the mid-20th century, is popular among both petroleum memorabilia collectors and dinosaur enthusiasts.
Moxie Soda Advertising Signs
An early American soft drink brand with a devoted collector following, Moxie advertising signage from the early 20th century is genuinely scarce and commands strong interest at specialty auctions.
Phillips 66 Porcelain Signs
Distinctive shield-shaped signage from Phillips Petroleum is a favorite among gas station and highway memorabilia collectors, particularly larger sizes in original condition.
Dr Pepper Advertising Signage
Vintage Dr Pepper signs, particularly porcelain and tin examples from the early-to-mid 20th century, are collected as part of the broader soft drink advertising category.
Ferry-Morse Seed Advertising Signs
Agricultural advertising signage, including seed company displays, represents a specialized but dedicated collecting category tied to American farming and general store history.
Red Crown Gasoline Signs
An early Standard Oil brand, Red Crown gasoline signage from the 1920s and 1930s is scarce and highly sought after among petroleum collectors.
Wonder Bread Advertising Signage
The distinctive colored-dot design of Wonder Bread signage, particularly examples from the mid-20th century, is collected as an example of strong mid-century graphic design in advertising.
Rexall Drug Store Signs
Porcelain and neon signage from the Rexall drugstore chain is collected both by pharmacy history enthusiasts and general Americana collectors.
Gulf Oil Porcelain Signs
Distinctive orange, blue, and white Gulf signage from the early-to-mid 20th century remains a popular category among petroleum collectible specialists.
Planters Peanuts Advertising Signage
Featuring the Mr. Peanut mascot, vintage Planters signage is collected both for advertising history and character memorabilia appeal, with larger and older examples commanding the highest prices.
Sunoco Porcelain Signs
Distinctive diamond-shaped Sunoco signage from the mid-20th century is a recognizable and actively collected category among gas station memorabilia enthusiasts.
Vernors Ginger Ale Signs
A regional soft drink brand with a devoted following, particularly in the Midwest, Vernors advertising signage is genuinely scarce and commands strong regional collector interest.
Conoco Porcelain Signs
Vintage Continental Oil Company signage, particularly examples featuring the company’s older logo designs, is collected by petroleum industry memorabilia specialists.
Uneeda Biscuit Advertising Signs
An early 20th-century biscuit company brand, Uneeda signage represents an important piece of early American packaged food advertising history.
Hires Root Beer Signs
Among the earliest nationally advertised soft drink brands, Hires root beer signage from the early 20th century is collected as part of the broader vintage beverage advertising category.
Signal Gasoline Porcelain Signs
A regional West Coast petroleum brand, Signal gasoline signage is scarcer than many national brands, adding to its appeal among petroleum memorabilia specialists.
Arm and Hammer Baking Soda Signage
Vintage advertising signs for this long-running household brand are collected as part of general store and household product advertising history.
Vintage Motor Oil Can Display Signage
Cardboard and tin point-of-sale displays advertising motor oil brands, designed to sit atop service station counters, are collected by automotive memorabilia enthusiasts for their bold mid-century graphic design.
Vintage Barber Shop and General Store Signage
Beyond nationally branded products, hand-painted or locally produced signage from individual general stores and barber shops is collected for its folk-art quality and connection to specific regional history.
What Survived the Scrap Drive
Most advertising signage from the early 20th century met the same fate: rusted through, painted over, or melted down during wartime metal drives. What remains is scarce almost by definition, and that scarcity is precisely what collectors are paying for when they bid aggressively on a porcelain sign at auction.
The appeal is not really nostalgia for the product being sold. It is the survival of a specific kind of commercial art, bold color and confident lettering, from an era before advertising went digital and disposable.
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