Do Neon Signs Hold Value? Why Real Neon Can Be a Smart Investment

July 1, 2025 Darrien Eouse

Are Neon Signs a Waste of Money?

Not If You Buy the Right Ones.

Let’s be honest—buying a neon sign isn’t exactly a “practical” purchase. Most people don’t need one. But if you’re anything like me (and if you’re reading this, I’d bet you are), practicality isn’t always the point.

You want something that lights up the room.
That makes your garage feel more like a showroom.
That gets your friends saying, “Damn—where’d you get that?”

Still, there’s that little voice in the back of your head:

Is this smart money?

Here’s the part most people overlook:

When built correctly, real neon signs don’t just hold value — many of them appreciate.

What We’re Seeing at Auction

Screen shot of real ferrari dealer neon sign selling at auction

27x47 Ferrari Neon Sign Sold for $5500

As a licensed auctioneer for over 15 years and a lifelong collector, I’ve watched the neon market evolve in real time.

One recent example:

A 27" × 47" Ferrari Stallion Neon Panel Dealership Sign sold for $5,500 at auction.

But that’s not an outlier.

In recent years, we’ve consistently seen:

Ferrari Shield Neon Sign pushing well into the four- and five-figure range depending on size and construction
Die-Cut Road Runner Neon Sign regularly selling between $5,000–$8,000, even when they’re not perfect
Reddy Kilowatt neon and porcelain signs generating aggressive bidding due to crossover demand from advertising, utility, and collectors of Reddy Kilowatt The Atomic Age Advertising Icon.

What’s important here isn’t just the numbers—it’s what kind of signs are selling.

Many of these pieces were mass-produced, often overseas, and built with materials that don’t age particularly well. Thin metal. Acrylic backs. Mediocre wiring.

And yet—they still bring strong money

Screenshot of an auction result, showing the die cut roadrunner Cartoon character neon sign selling for $8000 before taxes, fees and shipping

Now here’s where it gets interesting:

Those signs were mass-produced, often overseas, and built with materials that simply don’t hold up. And yet, because they “look cool” and fill a certain nostalgia gap, they still bring solid money.

We’ve seen Road Runner neons hit four figures. Vintage Standard Oil Signs light up phones. The buyers are out there. And they know the difference.

So, what do you think will happen with a handcrafted neon sign with real porcelain enamel that actually feel real?

Why That Matters

If mid-tier neon signs built with shortcuts continue to sell at auction, ask yourself this:

What happens to a neon sign built with real steel, real porcelain enamel, and hand-blown glass—materials that already prove themselves in the collector market?

That’s where long-term value lives.

Collectors don’t just buy neon for light.
They buy it for presence, material honesty, and how it feels in the space.

Why Some Neon Signs Hold Value (And Others Don’t)

Neon signs that tend to hold or increase value:

Hand-blown glass neon tubing
Porcelain enamel or steel backings
Proper depth and scale (not flat wall-huggers)
Recognizable heritage or performance-era branding

Neon signs that typically do not:

LED “neon-style” signs
Acrylic or plastic backings
Trend-driven graphics with no collector base
Lightweight, decorative-only construction

Brightness alone doesn’t equal value.
Materials do. Learn all about what Real Neon Signs actually are and why they’re the best choice for your space.

Not Just Decoration — A Real Asset You Enjoy And Profit When It’s Time to Sell

One of the overlooked benefits of buying a properly built neon sign is liquidity. As a licensed auctioneer in over 8 states and a lifetime collector of authentic original advertising signs.

You will be amazed at the demand and competitiveness which leads to quality vintage reproductions commanding insane premiums at auction.

Just look at this reproduction Route 66 Siesta Motel Cactus Neon Sign. Despite being made with acrylic overseas; this sign brought over $7500 at auction not including the Buyers Premium, taxes, shipping, and installation likely adding another 30% to the hammer price.

Yes, you could pick it up the same day which drives serious competition. If you’re willing to wait a little longer, you could get a much better quality handcrafted reproduction made from scratch just for you using real porcelain and hand blown hand bent glass neon For only a fraction of the selling price proven this design commands at Auction.

This isn’t money locked away in a drawer or sealed in plastic. It’s something you live with every day. It creates atmosphere. It anchors a space. It starts conversations.

And if you ever need to sell?

A quality neon sign can be liquidated through:

Auction
Private collector sales
Enthusiast groups

Often faster than people expect.

Try doing that with a set of bar stools, vinyl wall decal, tin signs, or cheap LED. Today, most items are made to be replaced.

Our neons are handcrafted like the originals, and with proper care is designed to outlast your desire to own it.

Keep it, use it, display it, And when you’re done, sell it for an upgrade. Genuine neon signs when made properly; can be repaired and last decades.

After the first 20 years, you may need to replace the transformer, which is extremely easy to do. But it’s nothing like the cheap LED copies flooding the market that are designed to be used once in thrown away the next week.

Why Our Neon Signs Hold Up

We don’t build signs meant to be replaced during your next move. The Process of Making Real Neon Signs at Porcelain Advertising is intensive but The only way to achieve the true feel of the authentic originals.

Our neon signs are built the way vintage signs were originally made: