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Welcome back to the days of real metal lunchboxes, poodle skirts, car hop trays, neon signs, and of course, those great travel water decals that you used to see all over the back windows of family cars!
Not to be confused with travel stickers that were plastered all over steamer trunks, water decals were the “real thing.” There were decals for just about every state, every dinky roadside attraction, restaurant, bar, beach... even churches and cemeteries had them! You can still find travel decals today at many souvenir shops, airports, and other tourist spots, but theye probably just color stickers rather than true water decals.
The true water decals were notoriously hard to apply. The fantastic artwork was printed on chemically treated, porous backing paper and covered with a special water-soluble glue. You had to dip them in water which would loosen the backing paper and produce a gluey film that would stick the decal to whatever you wanted. To keep it nice, you coat it with some varnish, and it would probably last until the ‘57 Chevy went off to that old junkyard in the sky.
Most decals came in small wax-paper bags which was supposed to keep them safe and dry, but even the slightest amount of moisture would stick the decal to the bag forever! If you have one like this and you're planning on using it, here's a tip: dip the whole thing (bag and decal) in warm water, and it should separate.
In its heyday, the decal industry was a huge business, so you can imagine there was plenty of competition. Impko and Lindgren-Turner were two of the most widely recognized (and collected) manufacturers. Other manufacturers included Baxter Lane, Goldfarb, Enco, Emblem Manufacturing, Bloom Brothers, and a host of others all trying to get in on the travel decal mania. Not all of them did it well: if you manage to get your hands on a Great America decal or two, take note of the crude, nonsensical graphics and yes, even spelling mistakes in the state names!
Impko’s trademark was a naughty little imp, and indeed IMPKO was notorious for producing all kinds of risqué and novelty decals. Cartoons, comics, sexy girls, you could rely on IMPKO for them all. Lindgren-Turner, on the other hand, produced some of the most detailed, high quality designs seen on water decals. Today they are regarded as miniature works of art, and very widely collected.
At Vintage Decals and Collectibles, we were very lucky to come across a fantastic “stash” of old travel decals that was put in storage and forgotten about for many years. It’s our great pleasure to be able to offer you these wonderful pieces of nostalgia through our Ebay store. Most of our decals are in mint condition, many unopened, just as you’d find them on those swiveling display stands in the 60’s. Most decals still transfer (though it does take plenty of luck and no small amount of skill to get them straight). Unfortunately, there are a few of the oldest decals that are very fragile and would probably be better kept “as-is” as part of a vintage collection. Wee tried to note those decals whenever possible. All of our decals are authentic, and all were produced before 1975, except where noted. Of course, we have other curios, unique and collectible items in our store to tempt you with, but we’re mostly water decals and proud of it!
Whether you’re a long time collector, or just delving into this popular hobby, click here to browse our store. We hope you’ll like what you see!
Tips for applying water decals:
- Use Lukewarm Water.
- Slide the decal off the backing rather than peeling it, if possible.
- Once on the surface, use a piece of cardboard to smooth it down and remove wrinkles.
- Sponge or wipe off all the gum from the side of the decal you’re not using.
- Let it dry for 24 hours before doing anything with it.
You can even varnish it or otherwise seal it to make sure it looks great and lasts. Most decals are silk screened to prevent fading from sunlight, so they should do fine left alone.
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