A 1951 Ford Custom convertible and White Rose Gasoline signs lead Miller & Miller's March 11 auction

NEW HAMBURG, Ontario - March 23, 2023 - PRLog -- A pair of Canadian White Rose Gasoline service station signs from the 1940s sold for a combined $63,130, and a red 1951 Ford Custom convertible car sped off for $17,700 in an online-only Petroliana & Advertising auction held on March 11^th by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., based in New Hamburg. Prices quoted are in Canadian dollars.

"It was a well-rounded sale full of quality, fresh-to-the-market, investment-grade material," said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. "Buyers jumped on many high-grade and seldom seen signs. With many rare pieces hitting the market after years tucked away in private collections, this was an exciting opportunity for collectors."

The top lot of the auction was a round White Rose Gasoline double-sided porcelain sign, six feet in diameter and marked "P&M Orillia" lower edge. It blasted through its $10,000-$13,000 estimate to finish at $44,250. The other White Rose sign – a three-piece single-sided porcelain banner sign – the more difficult-to-find scaled up version of the set, with the round center sign 48 inches in diameter (typically 36 inches) and each of the banners 119 ½ inches long, hit $18,880.

The 1951 Ford Custom convertible, professionally repainted in Carnival Red, retained its original 239 cubic inch flathead V8 engine with two-barrel carburetor and a three-speed manual transmission. The car had just 82,870 original miles and was a mostly original low-mileage survivor with a straight-fitting body. It was built in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and spent years in Edmonton, in a salt-free environment. Remarkably, it fell short of its $20,000-$25,000 estimate.

Just over 300 lots came up for bid in an auction that grossed $419,225 and featured categories that included automobiles, petroliana (gas station collectibles), breweriana (beer collectibles), soda advertising, bicycles and advertising signs. A total of 433 registered bidders combined for 6,726 bids. Online bidding was via LiveAuctioneers.com and MillerandMillerAuctions.com.

Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd. will hold a Canadiana & Decorative Arts auction on Saturday, March 25th, followed the very next day by a Historic Lamps & Lighting auction. Then, on Saturday, May 13th, the firm will offer the Jean-Marc & Danielle Belzile Collection, live, at 20000 Route Transcanadienne, Baie-d'Urfe, in Quebec, HX9 0B3. The spring season will end with two sales in June: Petroliana & Advertising (June 10th) and Luxury Watches (Date TBD).

To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and their upcoming events, visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.