Fill ‘er up at Great Gatsby’s premium petroliana auction Sept. 11
Tom Hoepf
ATLANTA – What better field for a Texas oilman to collect than petroliana, those showy relics from gasoline service stations along the American road. Great Gatsby’s will sell a premium collection of vintage pumps, signs and “lubesters” from this private individual at an auction Saturday, Sept. 11, beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
“His collection includes brands that have not been on the market in many years – names like Frontier, Polly, Magnolia and Gilmore,” said Marie Kowalik, president, Great Gatsby’s Auction Gallery. “He concentrated on the discontinued brands.”
The collection also includes everything from antique western saddles to wild animal mounts. There’s even a huge Regina Corona music box with an automatic changer and a dozen 27-inch discs, all in a Honduran mahogany case (est. $25,000-$35,000).
“But petroliana – the pumps and the porcelain and neon signs – that’s the focus,” said Kowalik.
The auction will feature approximately three dozen gasoline pumps from the 1920s to the 1950s, including many scarce “visible” models in which the fuel was hand-pumped into a measured glass cylinder before being released into the vehicle’s gas tank.
“This assured the customer he was getting the amount of gas he was paying for, and he could see its quality,” said Kowalik.
Many of the pumps in the collection have been professionally restored.
“Those that have not been restored are in excellent condition,” said Kowalik.
Likewise, many of the porcelain signs are in excellent condition and the neon signs are in working order.
Kowalik said the consignor constructed two custom-made buildings to house his private museum collection, the likes of which has not been sold at auction in 30 to 40 years.
For details visit Great Gatsby’s Web site at www.greatgatsbys.com or call 770-457-1903.