Advertising signs, petroliana, automobilia do well in Miller & Miller's June 15-16 online auctions

NEW HAMBURG, Ontario - June 26, 2024 - PRLog -- A 1936 Chevrolet half-ton pickup truck in untouched original condition sped away for $118,000; a circa 1880 Ives, Blakeslee & Co. Pegasus toy mechanical locomotive chugged off for $18,880; and multiple lots of vintage sales brochures for Auburn and Cord early automobiles sailed past estimates in three sessions of auctions held June 15^th and 16^th by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. All three of the sessions were online-only sales.

All prices quoted in this report are in Canadian dollars.

The June 15^th event was an Automobilia, Petroliana & Advertising auction, featuring the Dr. Michael Francis collection. June 16^th was split into two sessions: a Canadiana, Advertising & Historic Objects auction featuring the Jon Church collection; and an Automobilia & Advertising auction later in the day. In all, more than 750 lots came up for bid. The total gross was $774,316.

"The late Dr. Michael Francis collection had some monumental surprises," said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. "Results of the 1936 Chevrolet pickup and a rare garage sign stirred chatter across North America. "Soda struggled a bit, compared to the petroliana."

The 1936 Chevy pickup was the overall top lot of the three sessions, blasting through its $25,000-$30,000 estimate to finish well into the six figures. The truck featured the original 'leather-type' upholstery, original apple green and black paint, and 6-cylinder valve-in-head 206.8 cubic inch engine. The chrome was excellent and the original Goodrich tires were removed but kept. It was a true pre-WWII survivor truck, driven only 17,056 actual miles since new.

The garage sign Mr, Miller was referring to was a late 1920s double-sided painted galvanized sheet metal sign with milk (opal) glass letters spelling the word 'GARAGE'. It was simple in design, but early lighted signs with milk glass are some of the most important North American treasures in advertising. This one was 45 inches by 82 inches and depicted a Model A Ford or Essex of the period. It was originally made for a Ford-Essex Garage in Dundas, Ontario and brought $70,800.

To watch a brief YouTube video of some of the auction highlights, click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW2Xh5dhDxw



Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. has several online-only auctions lined up for autumn, to include:

• Petroliana & Advertising, Sept. 7
• Canadiana, featuring the Wendy B. Hamilton and late Bill Hamilton collection, Oct. 12.
• Canadian Folk Art, Oct. 13

To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the firm's upcoming auctions, please visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.