Wallet Card with a whole lot of privilege signs

I always love to post any privilege signs I find. Those are the signs that certain companies, mostly soda manufacturers, would pay for a business's sign in exchange for the privilege of having their logo prominent on the sign. These were highly prevalent in the 1950s-1970s; any surviving signs almost certainly date from that time, and provide a little window back into the past.

I found a lot of them in my ramble across the city this summer.

COCA-COLA

I found a lot of surviving Coke signs throughout Brooklyn.

 

 

 

Most of those signs have likely not moved for decades, though it is possible one or two were added at a later date for a "retro" look. This one in Greenpoint clearly falls into that later category, but it's still really interesting. It's a double-sided sign at a bowling alley.

 

 

 Take a closer look at the hanging part of the sign.

 It's clearer to see on the "BAR" side.

 

At some point, somebody painted over an old sign for "Evelyn's Groceries". Over time the white paint has faded and the original is once again visible. 

 

One more Coke privilege sign, this one is in Astoria, Queens. This was originally much longer and had a Coke sign on either side, but half the sign has been replaced by another business.

This is a "ghost sign", not a "privilege sign", but still fits the Coke theme. Partially obscured by a modern billboard in Soho, Manhattan.

 PEPSI

Moving on to Pepsi. This double-sider is another vintage sign that was added in recent years, but still gives off that nice retro feel.

This particular one was my personal favorite. While it is certainly possible that it is a reproduction added at a later time, the sign and bracket are both pretty old, and they fit in very well with the buildings around them. I've found a photo of it in the 1980s (above a business at the time which had a Coke privilege sign) so it's probably legit. Whether or not it's truly been there for 70 years, it felt like it to me, and it's one I looked at for quite a while (well, maybe a minute or two), imagining that I'd stepped back into the past.

I couldn't get as good an angle at the reverse side.

This one in Park Slope is obviously a lot more modern, but is probably 25 years or older. Probably not a true privilege sign, but painted on by the business, it's still pretty cool.

7-UP

This great sign is still visible under an awning in Washington Heights, Manhattan.

Here is the full sign.

This one in Chinatown is another one that was painted on, maybe 1980s or 1990s, but still has that retro look, and is fairly old in it's own right.