Vintage highways guide safety speed Total old road map retro

AFW - Antique France Worldwide

Description

This highway guide, presented here in its vintage version, stands out with its flexible blue cardstock cover adorned with a color photograph of a highway crossing an autumn landscape, typical of French advertising editions from the mid to late 20th century. The central visual, framed by a rounded white border, highlights the theme of fast and safe travel, with the legend "sécurité-rapidité" (safety-speed) in clearly visible white lettering.

The title "guide des autoroutes" (highway guide) is displayed in the upper right, accompanied by the official blue and white highway pictogram. At the bottom of the cover, the mention "Offert par TOTAL et les Sociétés d'Autoroutes" (Offered by TOTAL and the Highway Companies) is clearly legible, followed by a list of partner highway companies (SANEF, SAPN, COFIROUTE, AREA, APEL, ASF, SAPRR, STMB, ESCOTA), which indicates initial distribution in service stations or toll booths.

The object has a rectangular landscape format, typical of maps and road guides of that era, with a binding likely stapled or glued (not visible here). The cover's texture appears smooth, with bold colors and a slightly satiny matte print. No details of the spine or interior are visible in the photo.

The guide is placed on a wooden table, in front of a bookshelf of old books, which highlights its retro and authentic character. The overall visible condition of the cover shows slight signs of use, including a small black mark on the lower left corner, with no apparent tears.

This is an object representative of vintage French road publishing, often sought after for decoration or as a testament to the infrastructure and graphic style of its time.

Condition

This highway guide is a used item, sold as is. The front cover shows some minor signs of use, with no major defects visible on the cover.

Did you know? Highway guides distributed by oil companies like Total were very common in France from the 1960s-1980s. They served to promote road safety and build customer loyalty among motorists, while also providing practical information about the rapidly expanding highway networks of that period.

AFW Reassurance

Your order will be carefully prepared and promptly shipped by a professional seller specializing in antique and vintage items.

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