How to Collect Vintage Airline Poster Ads
Dating back to 1919 with the first Dutch aviation exhibition, airline poster ads began to make an appearance. At first, the ads touted aeronautical feats and promoters' advertising exhibitions. Airlines sought more travelers through commercialized posters that promoted the comfort and excitement of flying. Artists were specially chosen for their ability to convey catchy and memorable designs. Vintage airline poster ads are originals, not reproductions. They are considered a work of art and should be purchased from dealers, galleries and other collectors.
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Instructions
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Research defunct airlines such as Pan Am or France's Air Bleu, and then narrow down the type of vintage airline poster ads you wish to collect. Select posters according to destination, airline, time period or particular artists like Jean Even or Edmond Maurus. Vintage airline poster ad collections can represent past air shows or exhibitions, earlier introduction of a new airplane, or former commercial air travel and promotion.
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Make contact with antique dealers and collectors. Tell them what sort of poster you are in search of. They will either facilitate a search on your behalf or will be of assistance as to where to find vintage airline poster ads.
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Attend airline collector shows in locations such as Seattle, Atlanta or Chicago. Go to sites such as deltamuseum.org to find out when and where shows or conventions are being held. Airline collector shows give collectors an opportunity to view and purchase related memorabilia such as poster ads. Speak with other enthusiasts, and have posters appraised by antique collector vendors.
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Join the World Airline Historical Society to meet and chat with other enthusiasts and collectors. Receive the "Captain's Log," a quarterly publication on everything related to aviation memorabilia. Another forum for collectors is flyertalk.com, a community of fellow travelers and collectors who bring expertise about aviation and pool resources for other enthusiasts of airline memorabilia such as vintage ads.
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Acquire vintage ads at airline memorabilia shops such as Grayland Station in Chicago or Historic Aviation in Minnesota. Alternatively, find them online at reputable sites such as vintageposterworks.com or internationalposter.com. Take note of the poster's condition. Upturned corners, pin holes, creases, folds or other markings decrease the poster's value. Observe if the poster has been restored and to what degree, because this also determines the poster's value.
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Search through vintage National Geographic or Saturday Evening Post magazines, or purchase a preselected lot at auction. Sites such as Rubylane.com and Collectorsweekly.com specialize in aviation collectibles and other related memorabilia. Explore the Library of Congress, which has a wealth of information and images on airlines, vintage air posters and ads. Copies are sometimes available for purchase.
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Tips & Warnings
Learn the various techniques of preserving vintage posters to retain their value.
Know if the vintage airline poster ad was produced by stone calligraphy, photo offset or silkscreen, because it helps determine price and value.
Note the condition of the vintage poster ad; it should be consistent with the price.
For additional information, see the following books:
"Airline Artistry: Vintage Posters & Publicity," W. Donald Thomas, 1992
"The Art of the Airways," Geza Szurovy, 2002
Purchase vintage airline poster ads only from galleries, specialty shops and reputable collectors.
