NEW HAMBURG, Ontario – A rare 1930s-era En-Ar-Co Motor Oil rack made for the Canadian market, a 1989 Rolls Royce Silver Spur car with 100,000 original miles and a 1967 Triumph TR6R Trophy Sport 650 motorcycle in perfect running condition are a few expected top lots in Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd.’s upcoming Advertising & Nostalgia Auction on April 6. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.
The 595-lot live auction will have a start time of 10 a.m. Eastern time.
Headlining the event is the lifetime collection of Ryan McNabb, a longtime, dedicated collector out of Sudbury, Ontario. His collection – with fresh-to-the-market additions – features country store advertising, petroliana, vintage toys and premium nostalgia. The sale will be packed with general store signs, gas and oil signs, coin-ops, radios, cars and motorcycles and rare nostalgia.
“Collectors will marvel at the quantity of quality,” said Justin Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd. “McNabb’s collection has a ‘made-in-Canada’ emphasis, filled with seldom-seen vintage advertising signs, including some early signs that were acquired from the Kay Beverage bottling plant in his hometown of Sudbury, Ontario. We’re proud to offer it.”
The En-Ar-Co Motor Oil rack (above) is among the finest examples known and comes with two wire bottle carriers and 16 En-Ar-Co bottles. The four-sided tin litho display rack features the famous “Slate Boy” logo. One side is marked “St. Thomas Metal Signs, St. Thomas, Ontario”. The rack carries an estimate of $15,000-$18,000 (all estimates quoted are in Canadian dollars).
The 1989 Rolls Royce Silver Spur comes from the estate of esteemed organist Dr. Wayne Carroll of London, Ontario. The car boasts the original “magnolia” paint, supple and pristine leather interior and air-conditioning that functions perfectly. It has never been winter driven and is entirely rust free. It passed its safety inspection in August 2018 and is expected to sell for $12,000-$15,000.
The 1967 English-made 650cc Triumph TR6R Trophy Sportmotorcycle includes the original seat, parts, accessories and literature. The excellent original chrome shows no pitting or corrosion, and the show quality paint is enhanced with pinstripe customization. Some parts have been replaced with genuine Triumph parts. The estate bike is expected to roar away for $4,000-$6,000.
A scarce, circa 1929 Johnson Sea-Horse outboard motor store display, American, with a tin litho frame and topper and lithographed paper insert, displaying excellent color and gloss, should hit $3,000-$4,000; while a 1930s-era Canadian Imperial Marvelube porcelain oil rack with 16 original bottles and two wire carriers, a superb example, is estimated to sell for $2,000-$3,000.
A 1945 Black Cat Cigarettes porcelain sign, one of Canada’s most attractive porcelain signs, 50 inches by 48 inches, with high detailed graphics and marked “P&M Orilla 45” lower right edge, should bring $3,000-$5,000. Also, a circa 1902 Canadian L. Wettlaufer trade sign, in untouched original condition, with intact frame and a vibrant painted surface, should garner $1,200-$1,600.
A Canadian National Locomotive solid brass number plate, with photos and records indicating the locomotive was built in 1911 and scrapped in 1956, has a estimate of $2,000-$3,000. Also with a $2,000-$3,000 estimate is an American 1936 Sparton 557 sled radio, designed by noted industrial designer Walter Dorwin Teague for that year’s Sparton line, with an Art Deco design.
An American 1950s-era Armstrong Tires two-sided tin litho flange sign, featuring an image of Rhino promoting Armstrong’s “Rhino Flex” model tires, 17½ inches by 18 inches, is expected to realize $2,000-$3,000; while an American-made Ford Dealer porcelain sign from the 1930s or ’40s, made by Veribrite Signs, Chicago, 39 inches by 25 inches, should finish at $1,500-$2,000.
A 1930s Canadian White Rose painted wood thermometer, one of a few known, unusual in that it promotes multiple products, 21 inches by 8¾ inches, is estimated to bring $2,000-$3,000. Also, a 1940s Canada Dry cardboard poster showing a swimsuit-clad beauty, made for the Canadian market and risqué for the period, 44½ inches by 27¾ inches, with excellent color, carries an estimate of $1,500-$2,000.
The auction is a generous offering of collectible advertising and nostalgia, dating from around 1900 to the 1970s. The petroliana includes investment-grade tins and signs from Canada’s most highly collected brands, including Imperial Oil, White Rose, Red Indian and others. Additional consignments include select treasures from a post office in Rostock, Ontario.
For details contact Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd. at 519-573-3710 or 519-716-5606 or info@millerandmillerauctions.com.
[av_button label=’View the fully illustrated catalog and bid on LiveAuctioneers.’ link=’manually,https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/138360_advertising-and-nostalgia/’ link_target=’_blank’ size=’medium’ position=’center’ label_display=” icon_select=’no’ icon=’ue800′ font=’entypo-fontello’ color=’theme-color’ custom_bg=’#444444′ custom_font=’#ffffff’ av_uid=’av-7y7lunh’ admin_preview_bg=”]
