Signs and other ads from the ’50s and even the ’60s are going up in price—and they’re not hard to find at flea markets. What about a 19th-century wooden cobbler’s trade sign that set a record when it sold for more than $113,000? Well … maybe you won’t come across one of those. But if you’re interested in collecting, you can find great buys everywhere. Just keep your eyes open and learn everything you can from the KOVELS.
Don’t ever throw anything away? A Burger King cardboard milkshake lid from the fast-food chain’s early years costs $12 today, and a 1960s plastic Mr. Peanuts charm bracelet sells for $30. Would you believe a Clipper beer can from the 1940s can sell for more than $19,000? Gosh—you might find one of those in your Grandpa’s garage! Or what about a ’60s Coca-Cola advertising thermometer that auctioned recently for over $2,000*? Signs and other ads from the ’50s and even the ’60s are going up in price—and they’re not hard to find at flea markets. What about a 19th-century wooden cobbler’s trade sign that set a record when it sold for more than $113,000? Well … maybe you won’t come across one of those. But if you’re interested in collecting, you can find great buys everywhere. Just keep your eyes open and learn everything you can from the KOVELS.
Collecting old advertising is great fun, and Ralph and Terry Kovel have been collecting all kinds of ads—and having all kinds of fun—for years! You’ll learn from the experts, authors of the annual best-selling Kovels’ Antiques and Collectibles Price List, when you read their newest book, KOVELS’ ADVERTISING COLLECTIBLES PRICE LIST (Random House Reference, $16.00, $23.00 CAN). It showcases current prices of thousands of American advertising collectibles, from classic signs and tin containers to ashtrays, beer cans, toys, and giveaways.
Special features include:
*Actual prices of more than 10,000 collectibles, and each price is reviewed for accuracy
*More than 200 categories, organized by brand name (Burger King, Wheaties), company name (Gillette, Wrigley), product (tobacco, beer), item (jar, label, premium), etc.
*Company histories
*More than 350 photographs, logos and trademarks
*16-page color insert showcasing unusual collectibles
*Lists of clubs, publications, and museums, plus a bibliography
*Comprehensive index with extensive cross-references
Ralph and Terry Kovel began their collection of advertising memorabilia in the 1950s, long before these items were considered "in vogue." They remember finding pieces like Ivory soap packing crates and Diamond Dye cabinets in garbage bins waiting to be picked up by city trash collectors. Their first purchase was a tin Grape-Nuts sign that pictures a girl and a great dane. It cost them $18 at the time, and is now listed in this book for $3,520. Other record prices—like $18,814 for a Colt revolver store poster picturing a woman pointing a revolver at a roped jaguar, $20,350 for a Gilmore Red Lion Plus Tetraethyl gas globe circa 1930, and $6,512 for a figural pair of Facchino Ice Cream Kids, each holding an ice cream cone—are also included in the book.
Whether it’s a tin box or a McDonald’s puppet, chances are you have some advertising collectibles of your own. If you’re looking to buy, sell, collect, or are just curious, KOVELS’ ADVERTISING COLLECTIBLES PRICE LIST is the best guide to today’s market. Available in your bookstore or for an autographed copy, go to www.kovels.com and click on BOOKS.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Ralph and Terry Kovel, hailed as "the duke and duchess of the antiques world" by PARADE magazine, have written more than 90 books about collecting, including the best-selling annual Kovels Antiques and Collectibles Price List. The Kovels also write a nationally syndicated newspaper column and a subscription-based newsletter, Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles. Their weekly TV show, Flea Market Finds with the Kovels, airs on HGTV (House and Garden Television).
*The Coke thermometer, 12 inches round, sold last fall at a Metz Superlatives Auction, Roanoke, Va.
KOVELS’ ADVERTISING COLLECTIBLES PRICE LIST
By Ralph and Terry Kovel
Random House Reference
Trade Paperback
Published April 2005
ISBN: 0-375-72053-7
$16.00, $23.00 CAN
