Antique trade signs are especially desirable when they double as folk art. This optician’s sign, shaped like a pair of red lenses in a metal frame, could be an interesting, if expensive, decoration.
With its simple shapes, copper frame and red glass panels, this might look like a hanging sculpture in a modern abstract style. It’s really an optician’s trade sign from the late 19th century.
Antique signs, advertising and medical paraphernalia are popular collectibles. Some collectors seek them out for their historical significance or subject matter. Others consider them works of art. Signs that …
