Vintage Ads | 1950s Advertising Art | WWII Ads | Old Magazine Advertising

Old Magazine Advertising can include ads from the Victorian Era all the way up to the 1980s. Some people even collect and use magazine ads up to the present. However, there is more appeal to vintage Post, Life, Good housekeeping, Look and other old magazines and their ads. People collect them to use as home or office decor for their monetary value, historical significance or just because they look interesting. They do make wonderful conversation pieces. The other use for vintage magazine ads is arts and crafts projects.

Where can you find old magazine advertising? You will mostly find Victorian and 1930s-1980s ads on auction sites like Bonanza, iOffer, eBay, Etsy and on the Amazon website. When you are shopping for these old ads you need to make sure to pay close attention to the condition in the description. You need to understand that they are considered used, but like other collectibles they have a condition value. Currently, they do not have a set standard for rating vintage ads but most sellers will tell you if there are rips, tears, wrinkles or minor to severe discoloration or other blemishes on the ads.

Collectors of UK, US or other international magazine ads look for excellent and very good in the description of the ads because they want their ads to be in the best condition they can find. Arts and crafts hobbyists and professionals don’t mind those of lesser conditions like fair to poor because they are going to be using them in various projects from digital art to scrap booking and collages.

Other places where you can find these vintage ads include garage sales, estate sales and some on-site auctions. People that save old magazines tend to leave them to be sold in various venues. 1940s, 1950s and 1960s old magazine advertising are quite popular among collectors and artists. Some artists even show their work they have done with vintage ads in art gallery venues all over the globe.

1950's Necco Christmas Ad

If you like to collect historic and nostalgic memorabilia old magazine advertising is a great collectible arena. It is easy to work with, cheap to ship and inexpensive to buy online. You can get these old original vintage ads for less than reproductions. One final note: You need to make sure to check the description to make sure the ad is the original right out of the magazine and not a reproduction.

World War 2 Advertisements come from an era of turmoil and war. Many of the ads, information and articles dealt with things that were meant to help people during this tumultuous time. Some of the ads included things about how to survive during war, what people could do at home and war bonds you could buy. Many of these historic ads included war bonds ads within them.

Collectors like to collect these vintage 1940s ads because they hold significant historic information, images, stories, and articles. Some of the WWII ads have soldiers, soldier’s fiances and stories about them included with the advertisements. They are personal in nature and there are no other ads like them nor have their been since WW2.

World War 2 Advertisements are highly collectible to collectors all over the world and are highly desired by artists and crafting hobbyists. They use them for special artwork, scrap booking, decoupage, wall hangings and digital art just to name a few of the applications. What kinds of ads will you find in old back issues of Life, Post, Look and other WWII magazines.

• GM war time ads
• Public Health Committee
• Pond’s cold cream
• Western Electric
• Stromberg-Carlson

World War 2 Advertisements are mostly in B&W, but you can find those with color in them. Most of the color ads are cartoon style ads. There are very few color photo ads in WWII advertisements, but you can find some pretty rare ones. The more rare the ad, the more valuable it is to the collector. Historic value is only one of the aspects that make these ads so popular.

1942 GM OLDSMOILE AD WWII

Whether you are a historian and enjoy collecting historical memorabilia or you enjoy creating special WWII and other arts and crafts, you can find these ads for these applications. Make sure you look for ads that are of excellent or good condition when you want to use them as wall hangings. World War 2 advertisements that are of fair or poor quality can still be used for other types of arts and crafts projects.

Old magazine advertisements are highly collectible memorabilia to many people. This has much to do with the fact that after all these years their products are still on the market. Vintage Old Spice magazine ad prints make perfect antique advertising posters for matting and framing, decoupage or other artwork or crafts you might like to do. These old advertisements come in black and white or color depending on the magazine, year or campaign that Old Spice used for that particular time.

The best places to find Old Spice vintage advertising poster art is online. Websites like eBay, Etsy, Amazon and other auction sites. Old Spice Magazine Ad can be 1950s advertising art or even come from the 1980s and still be considered as vintage. You can get them from buying the ads alone or by buying back issues of old Life, Look, Post and other magazines you can find online at the same sites where you can find the ads alone.

Whether you are a collector, a person who like Old Spice or the history behind the company or you like to create art from old magazine adverts, you can use an Old Spice Magazine Ad. Many scrap booking hobbyists enjoy using these ads because they are the perfect size for scrap booking. The color ads are most preferable to crafters while B&W prints are more for artistic endeavors.

It is actually less expensive to choose original vintage ads for sale online than it is to buy the vintage poster reproductions. You can do just about anything you want when you choose to buy the original prints, whereas reproductions you are stuck with as is. If you are interested in Old Spice Magazine Ad art prints for whatever reasons you can find them online.

Vintage magazines are sought out by collectors, artists, crafting pros and amateurs and people seeking vintage items to use as gifts or home decor. These are highly desired because of the versatility of use as well as collectible value. As with any vintage item, the price you pay when you buy ads from vintage magazines for sale is determined by their value, rarity, special branding and condition. The condition is most important to most collectors.

There is currently no specific official grading scale for old advertisements out of magazines. Most sellers can determine whether an ad is in excellent, very good, good, fair or poor condition. Here are the basics of buying according to the condition of ads from vintage magazines for sale.

Vintage Magazines For Sale – Grading

Excellent

Excellent condition, just as the term suggests, is the best its gets. Mint condition may also be used, but that is not common since finding old magazine ads in mint condition is not possible. Excellent is used because they can be virtually free from blemishes, rips, tears, abnormal discoloration and fold marks. Any minor blemish should be reported in the description or noticeable in the gallery photo view. Ideally collectors look for vintage ads in excellent condition.

Very Good

Very good is just below excellent and may have some minor wear or outer edge tears or blemishes that do not affect framing. In other words there is no damage to the ad itself. It should still be suitable for matting and/or framing when you see very good in the description. Collectors will accept an ad in very good condition if nothing better is available due to its rarity in number.

Good

Ads from vintage magazines for sale with small and very minor blemishes like rips or tears on the edges or wear and wrinkles that can affect the suitability for framing are considered in good condition. This is okay for some collectors that really want a very rare ad that cannot be found in excellent or very good condition.

Fair

Fair condition when it comes to buying vintage ads can mean a variety of things. It can mean the ad looks good but has more discoloration or wear and tear than one in excellent to good condition. This can result in making it less viable for framing unless you feel it makes it more unique. Many artists use vintage ads in fair condition for projects like decoupage.

Poor

Poor condition usually means it is not suitable for framing in any way. However, it is likely to be good for use in various craft or art projects like decoupage, making scrap book pages and even for using the lettering for certain kinds of projects. Collectors seldom, if ever, buy ads from vintage magazines for sale in poor condition.

These are the most common ratings you will see on vintage ad descriptions. This includes magazine ads from magazines from international venues or just American magazine ads. The most popular places you find these products include eBay, Amazon and Etsy. You will also find a few (very few) websites that sell vintage ads and have vintage magazines for sale.

Vintage Ski Posters are mostly popular among individuals that enjoy snow/winter/water sports. They seek out these posters and print antique magazine ads as unique decor. Ski resorts are also good venues for this type of ski print paraphernalia. You can enhance the the decor of a ski lodge, beach house, log cabin, beach resort, water ski supplier, snow sports equipment retailer or a rustic log home with these posters. Plus, they make wonderful conversation pieces. Primarily, old snow mobile and ski ads from vintage magazines are found on auction sites like eBay and Etsy which is primarily and arts and crafts auction site for crafters and artists.

Old ski posters can be found by searching the Internet or on the same websites. There are also sites that are dedicated to selling old vintage ads and/or posters. These websites are mostly visited by collectors or people interested in winter/snow/water sports. You may be able to find a few snow mobile or skiing specific ads in Life, Look or Post magazine back issues from the 1930s to the 1980s, but most of these ad art prints will be found in vintage sports and skiing magazines.

Some examples of vintage ski posters and their collectible value include:

• 1920 Cardinaux’s “Palace Hotel, St. Moritz” – This is one you won’t likely find unless you have connections to this kind of collectible. It was sold for over $23,000 at an auction.
• 1930 Diggelmann’s ‘Chateau d’Oex’ – You will not likely get your hands on original prints of this one, but it is worth over $3000.
• 1930 Lenhart’s ‘Winter Sport in Italien’ – This one comes in with a collectible value of between $1500 and $2000.

You are more likely to find reproductions of old ski posters over the originals which is one reason people seek out vintage magazine ads to use as posters. Reproductions can be found at many poster art dealers online. First, they are easier to find and second, they are less expensive options. Here are some ski-related vintage magazine ads examples.

• 1980 Mastercraft Boat Ad Featuring Kidder Skis
• 1962 Rolex Watch Skiing Ad Featuring Stein Eriksen
• 1974 Massey Ferguson Ski Whiz Ad
• 1973 Ski Doo 250T Ad

The differences in vintage ski posters and vintage magazine ads featuring ski-related items is that posters are usually larger, they usually involve more location related information and they are more expensive even in reproductions. Since most collectors prefer original art prints, they opt for original vintage magazine ads that are related to skiing in some way. Many of these ads are advertising something else entirely, but there are skis, snow mobiles or some form of ski art as the primary background for the ads.

1970's Ski Whiz Ad

Vintage Bicycle Posters are highly collectible for many reasons, but are also found as vintage magazine ads from old magazines from the early 1900s to the mid 1970s. Beyond the 70s, these ads are not really considered vintage, but are still collectible if you like to collect bicycle-related items. The next few paragraphs will cover why you might want to collect old bicycle posters and/or old magazine print ads that display vintage bikes.

Most people collect vintage bicycle posters for decor purposes. They mat and/or frame them and hang them on a wall in a rec room, office or bedroom. Bicycle repair shops are the ideal venue for these old posters and vintage bicycle magazine ads. It enhances your business by providing decor that is relevant to your business as well as great conversation pieces for your customers.

Some of the old bicycle brand names you will find in vintage posters and magazine print ads include:

• AMF
• Western Flyer
• Columbia by the Torrington Company
• Huffy
• Schwinn

Vintage Bicycle Posters also have a lot of appeal for individuals that like to collect bicycle paraphernalia. They make great prints for displaying on your walls at home or in the garage to spruce up your decor. You can find these old ads, magazines and posters by looking at online websites like eBay, Etsy and other websites that sell vintage posters, magazines and art print ads. You will want to make sure they are properly handled and packaged for shipping if you plan to use them as collectible decor paraphernalia. FYI: They should be stored in clear cello sleeves with stiff backing board and shipped in tubes or in flat Tyvek or bubble envelopes with foam board or cardboard backing.

Vintage bicycle posters and old magazine advertising prints with bikes on them are also collected by people that are avid cyclists. They collect these old ads and posters to show their love for the sport as well as their knowledge of vintage bikes. Most avid cyclists have at least a good working knowledge of antique bicycles.

You can even use these old posters and magazine ads with bicycles on them to create great works of art or for a scrapbooking project. Life, Look and Saturday Evening Post and old bike magazines are the best magazines to find these old ads. When you are looking for this kind of art print, eBay, Etsy and a few other websites are good resources.

Giving vintage bicycle posters and/or vintage bicycle magazine ad prints as gifts is also popular, especially among the older crowd. This is because it reminds them of the days when they used these old bikes when they were new to them. These make a great and unique gift idea for grandparents and parents from the 20s to the 70s.

Most people interested in 1950s advertising art either collect it or use it for arts and craft projects. No matter what, they do make great gifts, decor and solutions for various art projects like scrapbooking and card making. 1950s advertising art includes a huge variety categories. Here are a few of the categories in which you can find unique 1950s magazine ad prints.

• Movies
• Cars
• Laundry Detergent
• Health and Beauty
• Transportation
• Vacation Locations
• Communication
• Home Improvement
• Office Supplies
• Holidays
• Beverages
• Cigarettes
• Appliances
• Electronics
• Radio

What makes these old ads so popular? They are classic prints from vintage magazines like Look, Life, Post and Good Housekeeping. Some are in full color as it was back in those days and others are black and white. Movie film prints are very popular and since they are around 10×13 in size or two page ads that are 10×26, they make great posters for matting, framing and hanging on the wall.

What makes 1950s advertising art unique and highly collectible. Here’s the scoop on how advertising campaigns worked back in the good old days. Companies chose a campaign and ran it one time, usually for only one month in one or two magazines. Sometimes they even ran different campaigns in various magazines. Now, imagine how few of these old magazines are available or even in good enough shape to be considered as viable collectibles.

1957 De Beers Diamonds

There are not very many to say the least. It is not likely you will find more than 20 to 30 of any one ad campaign from the 50s in any category, and that’s a stretch. That number might be higher for less viable ads for collecting, but that’s a pretty good round number for collectible purposes. It still makes them more valuable since there are so few left from each campaign. Keep in mind, the lower the availability, the more valuable the ad.

Where can you find this kind of collectible magazine ad artwork? Auctions sites like eBay and Etsy and websites that feature these kinds of vintage advertising are places you can find 1950s advertising art online. You can also find them at yard sales, usually in the form of vintage magazines loaded with several ads, estate sales, antique stores and local auctions.

Old magazine advertisements are not only collectible, but decorative and great for gifting. You do need to know a few things before you go off buying this type of item online or offline. Since they are considered collectibles, you need to make sure they are properly handled, described, properly stored and shipped and you need to know about how most sellers grade them. The application for which you plan to utilize old magazine ads will also determine the condition in which you want to find them.

Proper Handling

If you know anything about paper and coin related collectibles you know that they must be properly handled to retain their collectible value. The same concepts apply for old magazines and the ads within them. Old magazine advertisements and magazines should be handled with gloved hands so as not to add any additional oils from the hands that can cause damage, degradation or discoloration of the ads. When you are shopping for these old ads, make sure you find out if they have been handled properly, especially if you are a collector or are looking to collect them.

Proper Storage and Packaging

When you are looking at vintage magazines and advertisements, make sure the description includes how they are packaged and stored. They should be properly placed into plastic or cellophane clear sleeves with cardboard or foam board backing to preserve them and maintain their integrity. This protects them from further environmental damage and oxidation that causes discoloration and degradation. If you are not planning to use them as a collectible piece, this is not necessarily important. For instance, if you plan to use ads in arts and crafts, they do not have to be handled or stored in sleeves. Proper storage is important if you are collecting, framing or gifting old magazine advertisements.

Proper Packing and Shipping

Proper packing and shipping for vintage ads varies a bit depending on how many you are buying. If you are buying bulk lots, you cannot expect them to be packaged in cellophane every time. You will likely have to accept that they will be placed in a box (especially large lots) and shipped to you via media mail which can take up to 10 days to arrive. If you are buying single antique magazine ads, you want to make sure they are packaged in clear sleeves and shipped in either cylinders or in flat Tyvek or bubble envelopes. The most important aspect of packing these old ads is that there are protective measures taken such as thick cardboard or foam board included in the shipping envelope. Keep in mind this is really only important if you are a collector, planning to use them as decor or for a gift and not so much if you are using ads for art projects.

Basic Grading Information

You will see various eBay, Etsy and website sellers that have old magazine advertisements in their inventory to sell who add grading information to their listings. The basic grading scale is kept pretty simple. Here are some basic guidelines you may see on various listings. This is not exact and is intended to be used as an example of what you might see on various websites or listings.

• Excellent – No serious discoloration beyond aging, rips, tears or major degradation of the ad and optimal for collecting and matting and framing
• Very Good – Minor discoloration beyond what is to be expected from aging or minor edge or corner tears or rips that do not affect matting or framing
• Good – Slight discoloration beyond aging, some tears, rips or other degradation beyond the edges that should not affect matting or framing
• Fair – Moderate discoloration beyond from aging, rips, tears or other degradation on the ad that may affect matting or framing
• Poor – Severe discoloration or tears, rips and other degradation that will affect matting or framing

These guidelines are what you should look for when you are shopping for vintage ads to collect, use as decor or as a gift. If you plan to cut them up for use in art projects, they do not have to be in excellent to good condition. Excellent to good condition is what you should look for when you are shopping for old ads to sell or collect. However, some of these old magazine advertisements are so highly collectible that even in poor condition they are desirable. You can find out more on this subject by reading about old ads in books you can buy from Amazon or at your local library.

Vintage magazine ads are part of actual history. Whether they come from American magazines like Life, the Saturday Evening Post or Look or from other countries, these old magazine advertisements are historic art prints that can be used for a variety of purposes. So, what’s the appeal of vintage ads? This question has many answers because it depends on what application an individual or business intends to use them. Here is some good information about collecting these ads and the various reasons people collect them.

Vintage usually refers to things that are older than 25 years old, but there is much debate on whether old magazine ads are included. Most collectors claim that vintage, when referring to magazine ads means they are older than 50 years old. However, most buyers and sellers consider magazine ads from the late 1800s all the way up to the 1980s to be vintage.

Old magazine ad campaigns from about 1930 to 1980 are the most significant because the advertisers setup campaigns that lasted only for one month. What this means is that these are highly collectible due to the fact that there are not as many of them as with today’s magazine advertisements.

Historical Significance

Vintage magazine ads hold a lot of historical significance to many collectors. This is especially true for people that collect World War II paraphernalia. World War 2 advertisements are quite valuable for many reasons, first and foremost that they are historically significant to the whole world.

Arts and Crafts

Many people use vintage ads for their arts and crafts projects. Scrapbooking, decoupage, matting, framing, altered art, one of a kind (OOAK) art projects and any other kind of art and crafts project you can think of are where these really old ads come in handy. Most are 10 x 13 when they come from vintage Look, Life and Saturday Evening Post back issues. This makes them the perfect size for most scrapbooking projects and perfect for framing. 1950s advertising art is one of the most popular print ad categories for arts and crafts followed closely by 1960s ads. This includes brightly colored and black & white advertising paper prints.

Home and Office Decor

Some people just like to have a piece of history hanging on their walls as a conversation piece or for decoration. When vintage magazine ads are properly handled and matted and/or framed they make great looking wall art. For instance, if you run a bicycle repair shop, vintage bicycle posters would enhance your office and showroom areas. Likewise, vintage ski posters would look great in a ski lodge, ski dealership or in the home of avid skiers.

Gifts

Old advertisements from vintage magazines make great unique gift ideas. The ideas behind giving these as gifts can range from a childhood memory to something that reminds you of your grandma or grandpa. For instance, if you remember your grandfather wearing Old Spice cologne, an Old Spice magazine ad would make a good gift idea for him. This could be hung in the bathroom along with other Old Spice or health and beauty related vintage ads. The gifting concept for vintage magazine advertisements has no limits.

You can find single or multiple ad art prints on eBay, Etsy or other auction sites or vintage magazines for sale on various websites. You can choose to buy in bulk and resell or use them as gifts or in your arts and crafts projects. Either way they are awesome collectibles that can produce an income, make beautiful arts and crafts projects or unique decor and gifting solutions. You will be able to discover car, appliance, electronics, home improvement, movie, radio, soda, war bonds and many other types of old advertising prints to sell, use as decor, for art projects or as gifts.

Vintage magazine ads should be original and not reproductions when you are shopping around for these unique collectibles. While reproductions are nice accent pieces, they are not the original print and they are of low collectible value as compared to the originals. You will find that original prints are not only more valuable, but also typically less expensive than reproductions. If you want to learn more about how and what to collect in vintage magazine ads, you can find books about the subject on Amazon.

1946 BICYCLE PLAYING CARDS AD CARD