Pabst Beer Sign Took The Blue Ribbon At Morphy's Feb. 17-19 Automobilia & Petroliana Auction

By Author: Dan Morphy
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A spectacular Pabst Blue Ribbon double-sided porcelain neon sign with unique glass face inserts chalked up $44,280; a rare, high-grade single-sided tin sign for Ace High Motor Oil with car and airplane graphic garnered $41,820; and a Canadian twin 10-gallon double-visible gas pump rang up $34,440 at Morphy’s Automobilia & Petroliana auction held February 17-19.

The three-day event was packed with nearly 1,500 lots of motoring-related signage and service station items, antique advertising, bottles and flasks, all meant to appeal to discerning collectors. It was held live at Morphy’s Pennsylvania gallery, with all forms of remote bidding available, including live via the internet thru Morphy Live.

The Pabst Blue Ribbon double-sided porcelain neon sign was the overall top lot of the three days, easily breezing past its $10,000 high estimate. Mounted to its original can, the sign was a fine, rust-free example that would enhance any breweriana collection. It was large, measuring 58 inches by 11 inches by 38 inches, and was graded 8.9+ on both sides.

The rare and high-grade single-sided tin sign for Ace ...
... High Motor Oil, with a car-and-airplane graphic, measured 7¾ inches by 13¼ inches. Like some other choice lots in the auction, it was certified and graded by AGS, the premier authentication and grading service for antique advertising. It boasted great color and gloss throughout the field and was one of the highest-grade examples of this type of sign that Morphy has ever sold. Already expected to do well, it still surpassed its $30,000 high estimate.

The Canadian twin 10-gallon double visible gas pump, standing 100 inches tall, had undergone an older restoration in red, white and gold livery. The pump showed two intact glass cylinders, with the upper one in very good to excellent condition. It was a candidate for a good cleaning, or even a new restoration, but eager bidders pushed the final selling price to more than triple the high estimate.

A Red Hat Motor Oil (“Approved”) tin flange sign with an eye-catching top hat graphic was offered in original as-found condition. It was graded 7.75, but as was the case with the Canadian gas pump, bidders looked past the imperfections and drove the winning bid to a lofty $31,980 against a pre-sale estimate of $3,000-$7,000. The sign measured 17¾ inches high by 17½ inches wide.

A double-sided tin flange sign for Du Pont Red Cross Dynamite (“For Clearing Land, Planting Trees, Deep Plowing and Ditching”), graded 8.5 for condition, measured 23¼ inches by 12½ inches. It sold for $29,520, more than tripling the high estimate. Sides 1 and 2 both showed good color and shine.

Two petroliana lots posted identical selling prices of $19,680. One was a Flying A Gasoline single-sided embossed porcelain sign, showing excellent color and gloss throughout the field and a clean Flying A graphic. The bright and glossy example, measuring 62 inches by 48 inches and graded well at 8.5 for condition, had no problem surging past the $4,000-$7,000 pre-auction estimate. The other was a brilliant example of a Tioga Gasoline single 13½-inch diameter globe lens with a visually arresting Native American graphic. The globe lens, boasting excellent color and gloss throughout, scored a near-perfect 9.0 for condition. It exhibited negligible wear in the field.

A brightly-colored and embossed single-sided tin sign advertising Everlasting Roof and Metal Paint (“Old Government Paints”) by the United States Refining Company out of Cleveland, Ohio, brought $18,450 against a high estimate of $10,000. Showing a graphic of Uncle Sam standing on the Capitol Dome, the sign was produced by Meek & Beach Company of Coshocton, Ohio. It exhibited great color and good shine and measures 9¾ inches by 13¾ inches. It was graded 8.7.

A rare, circa-1920s single-sided curved porcelain Campbell’s Tomato Soup can sign, measuring 22½ inches by 12¾ inches and graded 8.5+, exhibited exceptional color and gloss. It was expected to change hands for $6,000-$12,000 but ended up finishing at $14,760. The iconic Campbell’s Tomato Soup can went from grocery store staple to pop art superstardom thanks to Andy Warhol, whose original prints depicting the can now sell for dizzying prices at auction.

A circa-1920s one-gallon can from Valvoline Oil Company (“100% Pure Pennsylvania”), made exclusively for Indian Motorcycles, was overall bright and glossy on each side and showed a clean Native American graphic front and back. The iconic can marketed by Indian, 11 inches tall and graded 8.0, realized $11,685, besting the $10,000 high estimate. Each side had “Panhard Cycle” handwritten into the grade panel, and the original lid and carrying handle were both intact.

To discuss consigning to a future Automobilia & Petroliana Auction, or other auction hosted by Morphy’s, call Dan Morphy at 877-968-8880 or email info@morphyauctions.com. All enquiries are kept strictly confidential, and there is never an obligation to consign. Online: www.morphyauctions.com.

About Morphy Auctions:
Morphy Auctions in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania has become one of the great success stories of the antiques auctions trade. Founded by Dan Morphy in 1997. Morphy’s has realized tremendous growth and set numerous world antique auction records in many categories, while attracting a global following of buyers that grows exponentially with each successive sale.