Hobbies And Interests
Instructions
Decide what types of signs are the most interesting to you. There are many types of signs available to collect, including regulatory signs (such as stop or yield signs), guide signs (that mark recreational areas or distance), or marker signs (that designate roads, routes or direction). Some people limit their collections to a particular type of sign, such as street signs or traffic markers, while others collect signs based on a specific area or time period.
Consider where you will be storing or displaying your signs. Some vintage signs are quite large and heavy. If you want to hang them on the interior or exterior walls of your home, you may need to re-enforce the structure. If you want to store them in a garage or storage space, prepare that space to ensure that you have a clean, dry place for your collection.
Determine if you want to clean your signs. Many collectors like a little dirt and grease on their vintage signs to add to the nostalgia. However, if you want to clean your signs, make sure that you have a safe place to clean them and any cleaning necessary equipment, such as a hose and gentle degreaser. Be aware that cleaning some old signs can reduce their resale value.
Decide how much you can afford to spend on your collection. Your local department of transportation is usually responsible for maintaining, replacing, and removing old street and traffic signs (as well as traffic lights). They may make old signs available to the public for free or a token amount. The local dump is also a good source to find inexpensive signage, but can take persistence to find what you are looking for.
Frequent antique shops and flea markets. Often, there are dealers that specialize in selling a wide variety of traffic signs, such as street signs that once stood in far-off cities (or even countries). Talk to the dealers. Introduce yourself and let them know what types of vintage signs you are interested in. Even if these vendors don't have any of those signs in stock, they are happy to take down your contact information and keep you posted for when they do acquire one.