Antique advertising covers an extremely broad spectrum that would take literally volumes upon volumes to detail. Companies discovered unique and colorful ways in which to get their name in front of the general public to help

As time marched on, and reading and writing became more commonplace, companies expanded, developed, and improved their methods. After the Civil War, companies that manufactured consumer products began to see branding their merchandise as a way to increase sales. Consumers gained confidence that product quality could be expected to remain consistent from one box to the next. With the completion of the transcontinental railroad, it opened the vast expanse of the United States for commerce, trade and travel between the East and West. So it became more important for companies to craft colorful signs, displays and objects in a variety of mediums like paper, cardboard, tin, wood, porcelain, etc. that would boast the company's product or service, and entice potential customers to use them.

The industrial revolution led to mass production, and by branding their products with easily identifiable trade-marks, they were able to set themselves apart from their competition. As demand increased for pre-packaged branded products, there was a corresponding boom in advertising companies generated to garner more market share.

However, these advertising pieces were never intended to be permanent fixtures. Little did they know that these "temporary" things would years later become wildly popular and collectable objects d'art. And survive they did. From advertising smalls and premiums to large scale displays and fixtures, these items became an inexpensive means of decorating one's home. That is, until popularity and supply and demand drove the prices up to an all-time high in the 1990s. One of the companies that embraced artistry in advertising was Coca-Cola. Since their inception in 1886 right up to the present day, they produced calendars, signs, displays, toys, store fixtures, and so forth that became the standard in collectable advertising. The successful formula that worked early on is still the most popular today and other companies followed suit, regularly utilizing attractive women (particularly partially clad women), strong graphics/colors, comical or fanciful images, and sports.

It was in the late 1990s that Julia's set the World Auction Record at the time for one Coca-Cola tin sign in particular that featured the early opera star Hilda Clark that we sold for $88,000. While prices have dropped off somewhat over the years, those quality objects in nice original condition that are fresh to the market and are reasonably priced are still performing admirably.