Retro Cool 1950s Advertising Art Prints and Ads

People who are interested in 1950s advertising art are either collectors or they use it in various crafting or art projects. Regardless of why people collect them, they make great unique gifts for home or office decor.Some of the various art projects in which these are used include scrapbooking and card making.

1950s advertising art encompasses many categories. Here are some of the categories in which you can find unique, vintage 1950s magazine ad prints.

• Movies/Film/Television
• Honeymoon Ideas and Locations
• Cars/Trucks
• Laundry Detergent/Fabric Softener
• Health and Beauty
• Transportation
• Vacation Destinations
• Holidays
• Beverages/Non-Alcoholic/Alcoholic
• Cigarettes/Cigars
• Appliances/Electronics
• Wedding Theme Ideas

What makes them so popular? First, they are part of America's nostalgic history, especially since many brand names are no longer available. Second, they are cut from vintage magazines like Life, Post and Look. They come in full color or black and white and range from one page ads that are around 10x13 inches in size or two page that are 10x26 in size. Many of these vintage ads look great matted and framed.

What makes 1950s advertising art unique and highly collectible. Here's the scoop on how advertising campaigns worked back in the good old days. Companies chose a campaign and ran it one time, usually for only one month in one or two magazines. Sometimes they even ran different campaigns in various magazines. Now, imagine how few of these old magazines are available or even in good enough shape to be considered as viable collectibles.

There are not very many to say the least. It is not likely you will find more than 20 to 30 of any one ad campaign from the 50s in any category, and that's a stretch. That number might be higher for less viable ads for collecting, but that's a pretty good round number for collectible purposes. It still makes them more valuable since there are so few left from each campaign. Keep in mind, the lower the availability, the more valuable the ad.

Where does one find vintage magazine ad prints? Auctions sites like Etsy or eBay are the most common online venues for vintage advertising. There are also independent websites that sell 1950s advertising art online. You may find them occasionally at yard sales, local auction houses and antique shops.