Vintage ads and old advertising ephemera are a great way to view days gone by. They give such an accurate glimpse of the past. Since I began collecting and selling old advertisements I have had many short history lessons.
I have many vintage farming and agriculture ads including Allis Chalmers, John Deere, International Harvester, Oliver, and many more.
Many of the vintage and antique car ads give great descriptions of the automobile as well as the price. I love the old ads for car heaters. I never thought about it much, but many of the early models were not produced with heaters!
My favorite ads are probably from the art deco era. Love those flapper girl styles. There was such independence in their fashion.
I also love looking at the old retro ads from the 1940's and 1950's with the great kitchens done with metal cabinets and those cute print curtains.
Vintage and antique ads are great to give as gifts. There are ads covering just about any product or industry that has ever existed. For instance you might have a loved one who collects antique cars. Why not give a framed ad as a gift.
Many of the old advertising prints were gorgeous illustrations by various accomplished artists. Many were only done for one magazine issue.
I have magazine advertisements from the late 1800's, early 1900's, 1920's 1930's, 1940's, 1950's,1960's and some cool "mod" ads from the 1970's.