Collectible Vintage Labels

By its very nature, vintage ephemera is made up of things that usually do not get saved.  Old advertisements, papers that seem to have no more value, and even old labels are now actually very collectible.  Most examples of what is now considered vintage ephemera were thrown away years ago and sit buried in landfills.  Fortunately for collectors, there are still lots of attics filled with memory boxes and scrapbooks (not to mention junk drawers).

As I started researching vintage labels as a collectible, I was surprised not only by the variety, but also by the specialization in what people choose to collect.  Some people want old perfume labels, others are strictly interested in the labels from vintage fruit crates.  Keep looking, and you'll see that still more people collect beer labels, medicine labels, cigar labels, firecracker labels and pretty much every other kind of advertising that has ever been applied to a box or bottle.

For collectors of these labels, each one is like a miniature work of art that is representative of the time it came from.  If you happen to have some old advertising stashed away for whatever reason, and you are thinking about selling it somewhere like Ebay, do a little bit of research before actually list it.  Along with specializing in certain areas of advertising, people can also be rather particular about the condition in which the label is sold.

People display these labels in a variety of ways.  Some people simply want to put them in scrapbooks for their own pleasure.  Other people use the labels that they purchase to make works of art.  Mounted alongside of vintage or antique photographs, labels can make a wonderful collage display that represents an era.  These can be wonderful displays on their own or can be part of a tribute to an era.  They can even be used as a special gift for someone reaching a milestone birthday.

No matter why you choose to collect them, vintage labels are a great way to look back at history.  Modern culture is captured in the advertising of each era and the art work is usually outstanding because it was created to be eye catching and popular among consumers.  Looking at antique and vintage labels may even get you looking around at what is being sold today.  If you can guess what will bring back memories in 20 or 30 years, you may want to stash it away now!