Collector Research and Preservation Guides
Practical workflows for originality, condition, provenance, buying, storage, local research, and responsible description.
Identifying Period Originals
A step-by-step workflow for format, construction, printing, address, date, use, and provenance.
Open guide →Reproductions and Fantasy Pieces
Later copies, licensed décor, fabricated brands, artificial aging, copied artwork, and disclosure language.
Open guide →Trade Card Identification
Stock designs, local overprints, printer lines, sets, backs, albums, dates, and trimming.
Open guide →Tin Sign Authentication
Lithography, embossing, edges, backs, grommets, rust, size, makers, and modern decorative signs.
Open guide →Porcelain Sign Authentication
Enamel layers, shelving, backs, mounting, chips, colors, makers, and fantasy brands.
Open guide →Printer and Lithographer Imprints
How tiny production lines can connect an object to place, printer, period, and related examples.
Open guide →Dating Businesses by Address
Directories, street renumbering, branch locations, phone exchanges, fire maps, and local newspapers.
Open guide →Condition and Completeness
Fading, trimming, tape, tears, losses, repainting, replacement backs, missing pads, and structural completeness.
Open guide →Using Sold Comparables
Match format, issue, dimensions, originality, completeness, condition, and sales venue before comparing prices.
Open guide →Local Provenance
Dealer stamps, addresses, family archives, building history, photographers, printers, and community relevance.
Open guide →Preserving Paper Advertising
Light, sleeves, boards, humidity, flattening, tape, adhesives, storage, and handling.
Open guide →Preserving Metal Advertising
Rust, enamel chips, paint loss, surface cleaning, oils, polish, mounting, and stable display.
Open guide →Preserving Cardboard Displays
Easels, folds, tabs, moisture, delamination, replacement supports, and dimensional storage.
Open guide →Photographing Antique Advertising
Full front, back, edges, scale, raking light, color reference, gloss, marks, and damage.
Open guide →Cataloging a Collection
Accession numbers, dimensions, materials, marks, condition, provenance, images, sources, and value notes.
Open guide →Inherited Advertising Collections
Stabilize, preserve groupings, identify local material, avoid cleaning, and create a triage inventory.
Open guide →Buying at Auctions
Preview questions, condition reports, buyer premiums, shipping, provenance, restoration, and bidding discipline.
Open guide →Buying at Estate Sales
Fast triage, hidden backs, albums, boxes, local paper, groupings, condition, and respectful negotiation.
Open guide →Shipping Signs and Displays
Rigid support, corner protection, dimensional pieces, glass, moisture barriers, insurance, and photos.
Open guide →Handling Harmful Historical Advertising
Racist stereotypes, patent-medicine claims, tobacco, war propaganda, and description with context rather than endorsement.
Open guide →