Miller & Miller's Online-only Petroliana & Advertising Auction Will Be Held Saturday, October 29th

By Author: Ethan Miller
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A single-family owned 1966 Ford Ranger 250 Custom Cab "Camper Special" pick-up truck with Avion camper, and a United Motors Service single-sided porcelain neon sign, are both expected to do well in Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.’s online-only Petroliana & Advertising auction slated for Saturday, October 29th.

The 381-lot auction, beginning promptly at 9 am Eastern time, will feature petroliana (gas station memorabilia), advertising signs, advertising tins, breweriana (beer and wine collectibles), general store items, jukeboxes, vintage and antique toys and more. There will be no in-person event to attend, but bidders can tune in to the live webcast on auction day to watch lots close in real time.

The 1966 Ford Ranger camper pickup truck was purchased for hunting trips once a year, which explains in part why the odometer reads just 39,966 actual miles. The side-style vehicle boasts parchment cab and trim, and has 100 percent of its original Sahara beige paint. It’s powered by an 8-cylinder, 352ci engine and cruise-o-matic transmission, and should bring $35,000-$40,000.

All estimates quoted ...
... in this report are in Canadian dollars.

The American-made United Motors Service single-sided porcelain neon sign is from the 1930s. It has the original neon, insulators, transformer and can, has never been apart and retains the original orange paint over the screw heads. This small sign was designed to be hung in a window or displayed on a countertop. It has an estimate of $20,000-$25,000.

A 2006 Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe black cherry motorcycle was purchased new from Dukes Harley-Davidson in Chatham, Ontario, with accessories, for $25,387.38 and includes the original bill of sale. The bike was well stored, but never used, and has an odometer reading of 51 actual kilometers. It’s expected to roar off for $9,000-$12,000.

A 1940s Canadian White Rose Gasoline double-sided porcelain sign, round, with iconic ‘Slate Boy’ graphic, large at 4 feet in diameter and marked “"Vilas Enamel Products Ltd. Cowansville, Que", is expected to reach $8,000-$12,000. Carrying the same estimate is a 1940s American Santa Fe Trail System Bus Depot double-sided porcelain sign, 23 inches by 26 inches, each side featuring a detailed image of a 1940s bus in the Santa Fe system.

Collectors of Coca-Cola memorabilia are in for a treat. Offerings include the following:

- A Coca-Cola clock (American, 1950s) having a painted metal dial with neon backlit acrylic dial cover and marquee. An excellent example, with all original components. Marked, "Electric Neon Clock Co., Cleveland” (est. $4,000-$6,000).

- A monumental 4-foot-by-8-foot Coca-Cola sign (Canadian, 1938), single-sided porcelain, marked “Made in Canada" lower right edge and “St. Thomas Metal Signs 1938" lower left edge. Some minor porcelain losses (est. $4,000-$6,000).

- A Jacobs "Mailbox" Coca-Cola vending machine (American, 1950s), painted steel with chrome trim. Tagged, "Made by F.L. Jacobs Co., Indianapolis, Indiana Model JSC-26". Has had a full cosmetic and mechanical restoration (est. $2,500-$3,500).

Jukeboxes will feature two fine examples, each with an estimate of $3,500-$5,000. One is a 1948 Wurlitzer 1100 “Bullet” jukebox, a 24-selection machine playing 78 rpm records and featuring a cobra pick-up system that set the standard for sound quality at the time. The other is a 1954 Seeburg Select-O-Matic jukebox, featuring 100 records and matched title cards. It was played at Stan’s Diner in Ayr, Ontario and on the Tommy Hunter Show.

A round McColl-Frontenac Service Station sign (Canadian, 1940s), 6 feet in diameter and double-sided porcelain, exhibits scattered scratches and porcelain losses but is still expected to change hands for $7,000-$9,000; while a Ford Genuine Parts agency sign (Canadian, 1920s), rare, double-sided porcelain with a steel hanging bracket, measures 18 inches by 28 inches and exhibits exceptional color and gloss. It should hit $4,000-$6,000.

A Fry “Mae West” cast iron visible gas pump (American, 1920s), the access door embossed “guarantee liquid measure co Rochester”, restored to Red Indian colors and with a reproduction globe, has an estimate of $4,000-$6,000. Also, a rare screened wood thermometer advertising both Enarco Motor Oil and Maple Leaf Antifreeze (Canadian, 1930s), with “slate boy” graphic, 21 inches by 9 inches, should sell for $4,000-$5,000.

Two very different lots have identical estimates of $3,500-$5,000. The first is a National Cash Register, floor model 592 (American, 1910s), nickel plated brass on a paneled quarter sawn oak base, built for Smith & Potts Hardware. The second is a very rare Cromptons Coraline Corsets single-sided tin sign (Canadian, 1880s), 23 ½ inches by 17 ¼ inches. Cromptons was an early manufacturer of coraline corsets in Toronto, Ontario.

Internet bidding will be thru the Miller & Miller website (www.MillerandMillerAuctions.com), as well as LiveAuctioneers.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. Here is a link to the auction: https://live.millerandmillerauctions.com/auctions/4-788HJV/petroliana-advertising.

Live, in-gallery previews will be held October 26th, 27th and 28th, from 12 o’clock noon until 5 pm each day in the Miller & Miller showroom, at 59 Webster Street in New Hamburg, Ontario.

Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., has three major auctions planned for the rest of this year and early 2023, all online-only affairs and all slated for Saturday. They include a Luxury Watch auction on November 19th; an Automobiles, Advertising & Toys auction (The Gary Archer Collection) on December 3rd; and a Canadiana & Folk Art auction on February 11th, 2023.

To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the October 29th auction, please visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.