What to know when selling your sign

If it has celluloid or plastic components, check the edges and surfaces for cracks or breaks. Inspect the image for fading, warping or damage. When the bulbs burned out in beer signs,the bartender sometimes replaced it with whatever wattage bulb he had in the bar. They were too hot, and caused the interior paint to flake and warp. I have bought signs for parts and components, so DON’T throw an old sign away.

A sign with a bottle, can, character or brewery on it will usually be more desirable than on with simple text. And it may not apply every time, but a short lived brewery or small town can be more collectible than a mega-brewer. The material a sign is made of may affect the value too-tin signs survive better than cloth or celluloid.

I prefer OLD stuff. In fact, the older, the better. But I’m backtracking on my own comments already. Really old signs were plain text, for the most part. And these will usually exceed 1930’s-40’s signs even though they may have great graphics. Look for words that have a period after them-like Anthony Yoerg.Brewer.St Paul MN. They are usually turn-of-the century.