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How much do custom neon signs cost? Generally, custom neon signs cost start at around $100 and can go up to $2000 or more. Youʼre looking for at least a few hundred dollars for a basic sign, and prices can go up from there depending on the size, design, and installation.

Between the lines: Many Pacific Northwest companies replaced their neon signs during the ʼ70s and ʼ80s following campaigns to ban them because they were considered tacky and garish, said collector John Bennett of John Bennett Properties.

Traditional neon signs are definitely still around, but there are nowhere near the numbers that there were in the mid-1900s. Thatʼs because thereʼs a much better alternative: LED neon signs.

Expensive materials One of the main reasons is the materials used in their production. Neon signs are made from glass tubes that are bent into shapes and filled with neon gas or other gases such as argon and krypton. These gases are highly reactive and must be handled with care, which adds to the cost of production.

Much of the high cost of traditional neon signs is a result of how rare they are now. That process is a mastered art known by few and done professionally by even fewer so when thereʼs only a handful of people able to make neon signs through that complicated process, the price is naturally high.

Costly Than LED Neon Signs Custom neon signs can be a bit expensive compared to LED neon signs. An average LED sign will only cost about $60 a year to run, whereas an average neon sign will cost about $165 a year.

The Decline Of Neon Signage Neon sign usage was in decline by the 1960s. At this point neon signs were no longer a novelty, and cheaper forms of illuminated signage were becoming more popular. Many neon signs up until this point were also made from glass containing lead.

First introduced at the Paris Motor Show in 1910, neon signage spread to widespread use, but declined after a few decades. By the 1960s, most businesses went away from neon signs because they were so expensive and fragile.