Gas station Memorabilia, Petroliana Signs, Automobilia do well in Miller & Miller's May 15th Auction

2024-04-24 04:07:43 Art & Entertainment

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New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada, May 20, 2021 -- Two Supertest Service Station (?Canada?s All Canadian Company?) double-sided porcelain hanging signs sold for a combined $41,300 and a Bennett 541 Supertest gas pump from the 1940s brought $20,060 in an online Petroliana & Advertising auction held May 15th by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. The auction overall grossed $341,905.

All prices quoted in this report are in Canadian dollars and are inclusive of the buyer?s premium.

The auction was headlined by the Bill McNevan collection of gas station memorabilia that featured items from Supertest, Red Indian, British American, Imperial, Reliance, Texaco, Fina, Cities Service and White Rose. Automobilia included signs from Ford, General Motors, Dominion Tires, Good Year, Goodrich and AC and Champion Spark Plugs.

?Collectors are hungry for advertising, and petroliana remains the hottest form of advertising right now,? said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. ?This sale was proof. Porcelain dealer signs were in some cases tripling the high estimates. Good porcelain and tin litho signs are off the charts. Many longtime collectors called me after the sale in bewilderment. They can?t participate in the market with prices at these levels. Some have coined it ?COVID craziness?.?

The Supertest Service Station (?Canada?s All Canadian Company?) double-sided porcelain hanging signs both carried estimates of $6,000-$8,000. One, from the 1930s, 48 inches in diameter and housed in the original frame, went for $20,060. The other, from the 1940s and larger in size, at 60 inches in diameter, in the original aluminum frame, realized $21,240.

Vintage gas pumps are hugely popular. The 1940s Bennett 541 Supertest pump, repainted to Supertest branding, sailed past its estimate of $4,000-$6,000 to bring $20,060. The 92-inch-tall steel gas pump featured new decals, hose and globe, and had the original ad glass and register dials. The pump was tagged, ?Service Station Equipment Co., Ltd., Toronto SSE Bennett ECO?.

Miller & Miller Auctions has three auctions lined up for June. They are as follows:

- June 5 - Canadiana & Sporting Auction, featuring the Don & Joyce Blyth collection.

- June 12 - Watches & Jewels

- June 19 - Advertising

The opportunity to consign advertising for the June 19 Sale ends May 22. Contact 519-662-4800 or consignments@millerandmillerauctions.com. To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and their calendar of upcoming auctions, please visit www.MillerandMillerAuctions.com.