Vintage advertising and enamel sign auctions

AP saleroom auctions vintage advertising at the BARC Clubhouse, Thruxton Racing Circuit, near Andover in Hampshire, with bidding in the room, by telephone, by commission bid and online from anywhere in the UK and abroad. Our sales cover enamel signs, showcards, tins, trays, breweriana and shop display pieces.

Buyer’s Premium is 16% of the hammer price. Selling costs 10% commission plus a £5 cataloguing fee per lot sold, and sellers are paid within seven days of us receiving cleared funds.

Our next vintage advertising sale

AP saleroom Two-Day Auction, 7-8 November 2026, at Thruxton Racing Circuit with online bidding.

449 vintage advertising lots in this sale, including 99 enamel signs, 48 advertising figures & statues, 44 showcards, 42 framed advertisement / posters, 36 framed showcards, 35 lithographed tin and metal signs.

• Lot 409Raleigh Enamel Advertising SignEstimate £1,500 - £3,000
• Lot 551TAYLOR'S DEPOSITORY PIMLICO Enamel Advertising SignEstimate £1,500 - £3,000
• Lot 254Ind Coope & Co Ltd Burton Ales Reverse Painted MirrorEstimate £1,500 - £2,500
• Lot 253Schweppes Mineral Waters Reverse Painted Mirror Advertising SignEstimate £1,000 - £1,800
• Lot 48Palethorpes Royal Cambridge Sausages Enamel Advertising SignEstimate £800 - £1,600
• Lot 127J. S. Fry and Sons Ltd Ebonised Counter Display CabinetEstimate £800 - £1,500
• Lot 244Mitchells & Butlers Ales Advertising SlateEstimate £800 - £1,500
• Lot 416Hercules Cycles Enamel Advertising SignEstimate £1,000 - £1,500

View the full catalogue

Enamel signs

Enamel signs advertised everything from chocolate and tobacco to soap and newspapers, outside shops and on railway platforms. We sell pictorial and text signs, single and double-sided, and flanged signs made to project from a wall. A Fry’s Chocolate Five Boys sign sold for £7,000 hammer (£8,120 including Buyer’s Premium), and a Wincarnis pictorial sign for £5,200 hammer (£6,032 including Buyer’s Premium).

Every sign is catalogued for maker, dimensions, condition and any restoration history, so you know exactly what you are bidding on.

Showcards, posters and shop display

Showcards and framed advertisements, display cabinets, counter units and advertising figures came from shop counters and windows. A Day & Martin’s ‘Just Out’ boot polish showcard sold for £320 hammer (£371 including Buyer’s Premium) against a £100-£200 estimate.

Tins, trays and breweriana

Confectionery, biscuit and cocoa tins, advertising trays, ashtrays, reverse-painted mirrors and breweriana from pubs and brewers make up the rest of our advertising sales.

Recent vintage advertising results

The highest prices from our most recent sale, AP saleroom No Reserve 2-Day Sale (July 2026). Each shows the hammer price and the price including the 16% Buyer's Premium.

See every result from this sale

Buying vintage advertising at auction

Viewing is usually held the day before each live auction, with confirmed times in the catalogue, and entry is free. Commission, room and telephone bids carry no surcharge. Bidding online at apsaleroom.com adds 2%, and bidding through the-saleroom.com adds that platform’s fee. Full details are in our Buyers’ FAQs and fees and premiums.

Selling vintage advertising with us

Send photographs of up to three items through our online valuation form for a free valuation, or call Nick on 07415 191 494 to talk it through. We generally look for consignments worth £200 or more in total. We can arrange collection of your items, with the charge agreed in advance. Our Seller FAQs cover the process step by step.

Vintage advertising auction questions

What is an enamel sign?

An enamel sign is a steel sheet coated with layers of vitreous enamel and fired in a kiln, which gives a hard, glossy and weather-resistant finish. They were used for outdoor and shop advertising from the late 19th century to the mid 20th century.

How do I find out how much my sign is worth?

Send photographs of the front, back and any damage through our online valuation form, or call 07415 191 494. The brand and image, size, condition and originality all affect value, and valuations for auction are free.

Do you sell other advertising besides enamel signs?

Yes. Our sales also include showcards, tin and metal signs, tins, trays, breweriana, display cabinets and advertising figures.

Can I bid online from anywhere in the UK?

Yes. You can bid online at apsaleroom.com or the-saleroom.com from anywhere, by telephone, or by leaving a commission bid before the sale.

Our first advertising auction, October 2025

Our October advertising auction was an interesting baptism by fire. Storm Amy was in full flow and hit our venue - a summer pavilion - hard, causing a few technical and home-comfort challenges along the way.

The internet dropped intermittently and lag affected the auction throughout, which meant some bidders were unable to participate. Despite these inconveniences, the vast majority of lots found new homes on the day, including a flurry of activity at the close over the unsold lots.

Most of the unsold lots then moved into a timed auction shortly afterwards, with excellent take-up: by the time it closed, over 220 of the 280 lots had sold, including almost 100% of the tins initially listed - a strong endorsement of the quality on offer.

A new home at Thruxton

To make sure we avoided similar issues for the petroliana auction that followed, a number of changes were put in place. The most significant was a move from the pavilion to BARC’s main hospitality suite - a location that proved right for the event, and where our auctions are now held.

Thank you

Thank you to everyone who consigned, bid and supported us at our inaugural auction, and who stuck with us through a challenging but important learning experience. Your encouraging feedback has been genuinely helpful. We are glad the decision to produce a high-quality catalogue - and the effort that went into its creation - was so well received, and we look forward to moving the bar still further at future events.

Onwards and upwards.