Gas Pumps
It might seem today to use tin signs as a form of advertising. Of course we have access to TV, Radio, Internet and glossy magazines as a way to tell people about the products that we are trying to sell. In the early 1900's, the whole concept of advertising was much more primitive than we are accustomed to today. Advertisers didn't needs flashy gimmicks or tricks to convince people that they needed a certain product.
It was so simple that companies, like gas companies, created simple, color signs made of tin. The signs were given to their individual gas station operators and other related businesses as a means of letting people know that a certain product was available. It proved to be very effective and launched tremendous growth among the gas companies.
Today, small town America might hold the key to some of these long-forgotten everyday signs. It's quite common to find these vintage tin gas signs still nailed to the side of an old building, were they have been exposed to the rain for almost a century. As for older gas stations, because of environmental regulations, most have been closed down, but vintage gas pumps can still be found at flea markets, online auctions, backyards and in some other odd locations, just waiting to be restored to their former beauty.
