The Many Uses for Vintage Advertisements and Prints

A big growing trend that has been popping up is old vintage advertisements from post civil war era to the 1970s. To define vintage is a bit tricky itself. A common classification is that the items are at least 25 years old. Personally, I feel 1800s into the early 1980s is appropriate. Early advertisement is quite entertaining as the standards were a bit "looser" back then and a lot of vintage ads would not be able to find ways into today's media because they were too sexist or racy. Commonly used magazines for vintage advertising include Life, Look, Post and Good Housekeeping, but in reality its quite limitless. These magazines can be bought bulk on sites like eBay and it gives the collector quite a bit to choose from.

What makes vintage advertising so appealing to it's audience. This truly depends on who you are asking. People use them for decorating and business. Some people also want them for their nostalgic or historical value, especially collectors. To collectors issues like historical significance, rarity of print, brand name, and brands that are discontinued play a huge part in the ads actual value. No matter what the reasoning though, vintage ads have quite a few uses to the consumer.

Nostalgic/Historical Importance

Vintage ads carry a strong historical or nostalgic importance. A lot of ads appeal to a larger group, for example, collectors of WWII memorabilia or the segregation era that will buy them for the historical importance. Car, alcohol and food ads are very popular with people and maybe a particular automobile holds a place in someones heart.

Home and Business Decor

Vintage advertisements are great for the home or business. Since most ads are 10x13 they are perfect for framing and matting. This look is very decorative and appealing to visitors or customers. Car dealerships, salons, doctors offices, pretty much any business can take advantage of these great conversation pieces.

Arts & Crafts

Creative artists and others who are into crafting will truly enjoy the vintage advertisements. They can be used in professional collages, card making, altered art and posters. Once again the 10x13 size is perfect for this use. Since a lot of these advertisements were printed only a handful of times every piece of art created with vintage ads is truly unique.

Unique Gift Idea Vintage ads make a great gift for the collector or as a piece that brings someone down memory lane. You can find original prints on eBay cheaper than the reproductions you see today. All you need to do is pick out a nice frame and you have a excellent vintage advertisement gift.

Remember when buying vintage advertisements to make sure they are the original prints. The original prints usually have a faint discoloration to them that gives them that retro feel. Most people that sell vintage ads including myself use a rating scale that ranges from excellent to poor. Collectors obviously want something close to excellent or fine while a very good to fair would be acceptable as a matted piece hanging on a wall.

You can find my vintage ad of the day website here [http://www.dailyvintagead.com]

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