NEW HAMBURG, Canada – A cutaway model of a 1962 Vickers VC-10 BOAC (later renamed British Air) jet plane, one of only two known to exist, made by Walkers Westway in England, is expected to soar to new heights in Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.’s online-only Advertising & Historic Objects auction planned for Saturday, January 21 at 9 am Eastern time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers. All estimates quoted are in Canadian dollars.
The eclectic sale is filled with 376 lots of advertising signs, banks, breweriana, bicycles, bottles, clocks, coin-op machines, fruit jars, general store, historic objects, models, militaria, soda advertising and sports memorabilia. There are several desirable vintage airplane models in the auction – not all are cutaways. The Vickers VC-10 is the expected overall top lot, with an estimate of $9,000-$12,000.
The Vickers VC-10 model is highly sought after by collectors for its beautiful lines and interesting history. The performance of the plane was such that it achieved the fastest crossing of the Atlantic by a subsonic jet airliner of five hours and one minute. The record held for 41 years, until February 2020, when it was broken by a British Airways Boeing 747.
It became a standard airline industry marketing practice to woo customers by showing off cutaway models of the most exciting new jets. Only the highest-performing travel agencies were given the privilege of being entrusted with these models. The one in the sale was sent to a travel agency in 1963, where it sat nearly forgotten for more than 50 years.
Then, when the building it was kept in was sold in December 2021, the airplane model was rediscovered by the same man who placed it there late in 1963. The only other Westway BOAC VC-10 model known to exist doesn’t have a cutaway view of the fore and aft cargo hold, nor does it sport landing gear, as the one in the auction does.
A Dr. Lesure’s Veterinary Remedies cabinet with a single-sided tin front door panel that shows a horse’s head in an oval, made in America in the early 20th century and marked “American Art Works, Coshocton, Ohio” has an estimate of $4,000-$6,000; while an English 1884 Rudge 54in high-wheel bicycle in untouched original condition, serial #1260, outfitted with a new Kirkpatrick-style saddle, carries an estimate of $4,000-$6,000.
Other lots also estimated at $4,000-$6,000 include an early 20th century Calgary (Canada) Brewing & Malting Company poster on single-sided lithographed paper with great color in the original frame; and a Canadian 1940s Burns Bakeasy Shortening neon sign, single-sided Masonite with reverse painted acrylic package insert, with the case featuring a heavily crazed painted surface.
A circa-1910s American De Laval Cream Separators single-sided tin sign in a marked gilt plaster, professionally regilded frame, has an estimate of $4,000-$6,000 as well. Also, a circa-1950s Canadian Coca-Cola Vendo 44 vending machine in painted steel with chrome trim, coin mechanism and interior bottle racks, is estimated at $2,500-$3,500.
A group of 1929 Canadian Willard Chocolate baseball cards, 18 from the original set of 180, featuring Hall of Famers Zack D. Wheat, Jesse J. Hains and Walter L. “Rabbit” Maranville, has an estimate of $3,000-$5,000; while a 1929 New York Yankees partial team-signed baseball, featuring Lou Gehrig, Earle Combs and Leo Durocher (Babe Ruth and Waite Hoyte’s signatures were deemed “ghost” signed), is estimated at $3,000-$4,000.
A Canadian Hamilton Glass Works No. 1 clamp fruit jar, aqua in color and in excellent condition, has an estimate of $3,500-$5,000; while a circa-1920s American Ward’s Lime Crush syrup dispenser, fashioned from porcelain with a silver-plated pump, is estimated at $3,500-$5,000. Among the Ward’s syrup dispensers, the Lime version is known by collectors to be the most difficult to find.
To consign a single piece, an estate or a collection, call Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. at 519-573-3710, or email info@millerandmillerauctions.com. To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., please visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.
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The current rate of exchange is dollar CA 1 = 74 cents.
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