Treasure In Your Barn or Garage

GREENVILLE, SC, March 23, 2014 (Press-News.org) It is difficult to turn on the tv today and not see shows about the antique business. For some reason we are just drawn to stories about people finding old things in out of the way places that end up being worth thousands of dollars. Of course most of these shows are staged, but they have piqued the interest in many types of antiques that were traditionally underexposed. One of the hottest areas of collecting is porcelain signs.

All types of advertising memorabilia and collectibles have been popular since probably the 1980s. However, prices were always very affordable and reasonable. You could spend a few thousand dollars and buy dozens of really amazing pieces. Today a rare and high grade vintage porcelain sign can be worth thousands of dollars. We recently sat down with dealer Dale Fenton to talk about the market and why we are seeing such high prices.

Dale says that the demand for quality advertising memorabilia is ten times higher today than it was twenty years ago. The reason for the popularity is the exposure that the hobby is getting. It used to be that if you wanted to collect antiques you had to settle for china, lamps, and furniture. Now we are in a market where anything and everything can be collectible. Your standard porcelain sign collector is typically a male between age 30 and 60. He probably started collecting to decorate a basement or garage, and once he saw what all was out there he couldn't stop buying. The selection is enormous. If you like cars then you can buy old dealership signs. If you are a cigar aficionado then you can collect signs advertising tobacco brands. Advertising signs tie into a number of other fields of collecting.

Dale recently bought a sign for his personal collection that he paid more than $25,000 because it was one of only a handful known to exist and it was the best of the group in terms of condition. According to Dale, the opportunity to buy truly rare and mint condition signs is rare. If you have the chance to buy one, and you can afford to do it, then you will likely not regret it.

Got Questions?
If you would like to know the value of your sign then you can contact Dale via email at Dale@PorcelainSigns.com