Miller & Miller's Auctions, Sept. 13 & 14, Featured Advertising Signs, Petroliana, Automobilia, More

By Author: Ethan Miller
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A 1940s Canadian single-sided porcelain sign for Black Cat Cigarettes sold for $34,220 and a circa 1920s Canadian two-sided lithographed tin for C.C. Snowdon Numidian Automobile Cylinder Oil finished at $20,060 in two days of auctions held September 13th and 14th by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. There were four sessions held overall.

All prices quoted in this report are in Canadian dollars and include an 18 percent buyer’s premium.

The September 13th morning session, featuring the Terry Henderson Collection, had 377 lots of advertising signs, petroliana, coin-op and automobilia. The evening session, titled Push Comes to Shove, contained 160 lots of advertising signs and petroliana. The September 14th sale featured Parts 1 & 2 of the Don Titherington Advertising Collection, 435 lots total across two sessions.

The Black Cat Cigarettes sign, impressive at 50 ¼ inches by 46 ½ inches, was the top lot of Day 2 and the top lot overall. The sign was professionally restored, which no doubt plumped up its final selling price. Launched in the early 20th century, Black Cat was a distinguished cigarette ...
... brand produced by Carreras Ltd., meant to appeal to upscale smokers in Canada and Britain.

The lithographed oil tin for C.C. Snowdon Numidian Automobile Cylinder Oil featured an image believed to be a race car from the 1911 Indy 500. The tin, thought to contain 1 Imperial gallon, was made by The Thomas Davidson Mfg. Co., Montreal and was the top achiever on Day 1, easily surpassing its $15,000 high estimate. Side A was graded 8.25. Side B was graded 8.75.

The September 13 evening session was highlighted by a single-sided tin door sign for Canada Dry Pale Dry Ginger Ale (“World Famous / Take Home a Carton”) that breezed to $2,655. A top earner in the September 14 evening session was a Double Diamond Ale ceramic display from the 1930s, marked “Beswick Ware Made in England”, 8 inches by 9 inches. It gaveled for $2,242.

“They were two riveting days for collectors of premier advertising,” said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. He added, “The under-performance of paper under glass and larger porcelain signs was eclipsed by records in rare, high-grade (9 or higher) porcelain and tin signs. It was two spirited days of action with good news for discerning collectors in many categories.”

Following are additional highlights from the auctions, ones in which 1,416 registered users combined to place 24,672 bids. Day 1 grossed $679,562, while Day 2 grossed $1,019,579. One hundred percent of lots were sold. Online bidding was available on LiveAuctioneers.com and the Miller & Miller website (www.MillerandMillerAuctions.com).

A 1920s single-sided convex porcelain sign for Quilmes Cristal Beer, Argentina’s most iconic beer founded in 1888 by German immigrant Otto Bemberg, measured 21 ¼ inches by 29 ½ inches and boasted excellent color and gloss, with only minor scuffs. It was graded 8.75 and was a sleeper lot that fetched $31,860. Quilmes sponsored Argentina’s national football team.

A Canadian 1946 single-sided, three-piece porcelain White Rose Service Station banner sign set, with all three pieces showing excellent color and gloss, crossed the finish line at $30,680. The panel overall was 17 inches tall by 94 inches wide. The circle midway said “White Rose” with the iconic White Rose logo. The left banner was graded 8.75; the right banner was graded 9.25.

A Canadian 1940s single-sided porcelain Red Indian Gasoline Service Station dealer sign, round and impressive at 60 inches in diameter, featured the instantly recognizable Red Indian logo. It showed strong gloss but also loss of luster. It bested the $12,000 estimate by bringing $17,700.

A Canadian 1920s single-sided porcelain sign for Five Roses Flour, which became a pantry staple across Canada following its launch in 1888 by the Lake of the Woods Milling Company in Keewatin, Ontario, found a new owner for $30,680. The field of the 42 inch by 26 inch sign was unrestored and superb. Five Roses’ famous 1915 cookbook was distributed free with a purchase.

A Canadian 1930s Electro Gasoline single reverse-baked glass lens, round, 15 ½ inches in diameter and very rare, in untouched original condition, went to a determined bidder for $15,340. The pump globe lens featured Electro Gasoline’s iconic buffalo and boasted truly brilliant color.

To watch a brief YouTube video of the highlights from Sept. 13, please click this link:
https://youtu.be/ug1QCfxagFI

To watch a brief YouTube video of the highlights from Sept. 14, please click this link:
https://youtu.be/8xxNrqFRtwI

Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. has several exciting online-only auctions planned for the fall. They are as follows:

Sept 28: Pre-1980 Sports Cards & Memorabilia
Oct 9: Post-War Canadian Folk Art
Oct 11: Canadiana - Featuring the Louise & Late Robert Levesque Collection
Oct 25: Firearms

To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the firm’s upcoming auctions, visit www.MillerandMillerAuctions.com.