New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada, October 17, 2023 — Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. will be in overdrive the weekend of October 27th and 28th, with an Advertising & Americana auction featuring an exclusive Toronto collection on Friday, October 27th, followed by an Advertising, Petroliana & Coin-Op auction on Saturday, October 28th, showcasing the lifetime works of Nathan Appleby.
Both events will be online-only. “The October 27th sale, starting at 4 pm Eastern time, is a treasure trove filled with the ingredients of America’s golden age,” said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller auctions. “The exclusive Toronto collection consists of a fresh-to-the-market array of advertising and related memorabilia from the 1940s to the 1960s – a ton of fresh material.”
Mr. Miller said the October 27th auction will feature everything from signs, palm pushes and diecuts to hard-to-find posters from the pin-up era. “The categories include tobacco, soda, general store and beer,” he remarked, adding, “There is really something for every advertising collector here. The collection also includes an impressive line-up of microphones by Shure.”
Mr. Miller described the October 28th sale as “a tidal wave of fresh to the market investment grade collectibles by some of the most established collections in the county. It includes advertising spanning from the 1890s to the 1970s, as well as petroliana, breweriana and country store advertising. It’s packed with fresh-to-the-market excitement. This one’s not to be missed.”
In the October 28th country store category, the sale will feature two desirable porcelain signs: a King Cole Tea and Coffee ‘diecut’ sign, as well as a Red Top Flour ‘convex’ sign. “We are also thrilled to offer a collection representative of the lifetime works of sign painter Nathan Appleby, including his masterpiece, a McColl-Frontenac Red Indian reverse-on-glass sign,” Miller said.
With a pre-sale estimate of $9,000-$12,000, the McColl-Frontenac Red Indian reverse-on-glass sign could end up being the overall top lot of the two days. In this signed, 17 ½ inch by 24 inch sign from the 1940s, which Mr. Appleby created while working in the advertising department of The McColl Frontenac Oil Company, he makes the profound “Red Indian” image the focal point.
All prices quoted in this report are in Canadian dollars.
Mr. Appleby’s „Signs of the Better Kind“ reverse painted trade sign was his first trade sign, created in 1930. The unsigned, 18 ¾ inch by 24 inch sign is in the original gold leaf frame and not only showcases Mr. Appleby’s array of talents, but it exemplifies his love of music, and how the expression of musical symbols is very much a part of his signs (est. $3,500-$5,000).
Other items that day are also expected to do well. The 22 inch by 18 ¼ inch Red Top Flour single-sided porcelain ‘convex’ sign from the 1920s, in excellent condition, features a detailed image seldom seen on porcelain signs. The classic American advertising signs and is marked „Burdick, Consumers Bldg., Chi & Beaver Falls PA“ bottom right edge (est. $8,000-$12,000).
A 1946 Wurlitzer model 1015 jukebox, housed in a veneer case with plastic and nickel-plated trim, is tagged, „Wurlitzer Multi-Selector Phonograph Manufactured by Siegel Distributing Co., Toronto, Canada. Model 1015, Serial No. 1018. 59″ x 33″ x 23“. The exceptionally clean original example includes a selection of records, mostly Elvis originals. (est. $6,000-$9,000).
Day 1 highlight lots will include tobacco (Black Cat, Sweet Caporal, Kool); soda (Coca-Cola, Orange Crush, Hires, Whistle); general store; beer (Blatz, Strohs and Molson’s); and hand-selected and hard-to-find posters from the glamour girl / pin-up era. There is also an impressive lineup of wild and zany 1950s-1960s animated beer signs for sale.
Featured lots include a Canadian Hires Root Beer single-sided tin door sign from the 1940s, 14 inches by 4 inches and marked „General Steel Wares Made in Canada BDP-1“, which should ring up $900-$1,200; while a 1961 Canadian Wishing Well Orange single-sided tin thermometer, 10 ½ inches by 10 ½ inches, is also expected to change hands for $900-$1,200.
A large Whistle Soda single-sided tin sign (American, 1940s), measuring 40 inches by 63 inches, is expected to reach $800-$1,000; a Canadian Black Cat Cigarettes lithographed paper poster from the 1940s in the original frame, 27 inches by 19 ½ inches, has an estimate of $600-$900; and a Seven-Up double-sided tin flange sign (American, 1950s, “You Like It, It Likes You”), measuring 10 inches by 12 ½ inches, should find a new home for $700-$900.
Up for bid on October 27th will be an impressive lineup of microphones by Shure, Astatic, American and more. Leading the way will be a Shure 55S Unidyne uni-directional dynamic cardioid microphone, a second-generation model from the 1950s (est. $400-$600). The model 55S was the microphone of choice by Elvis Presley, Fidel Castro and many others.
While these are online-only auctions with no live gallery bidding, bidders can tune in to the live webcast both auction days, October 27th and 28th, to watch lots close in real time. Here’s a link to the October 27th auction: https://live.millerandmillerauctions.com/auctions/4-BGBNE8/advertising-americana. Here’s a link to the October 28th auction: https://live.millerandmillerauctions.com/auctions/4-AXXQPB/advertising-petroliana-coin-op. Online bidding is also available, via LiveAuctioneers.com. Phone and absentee bids accepted.
To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the October 27th and 28th auctions, visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.
About Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.:
Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. is Canada’s trusted seller of high-value collections and is always accepting quality consignments. The firm specializes in luxury watches, art, antiques and high-value collectibles. Its mission is to always provide collectors with a trusted place to buy and sell.
To consign a single piece, an estate or a collection, you may call them at (519) 573-3710; or, you can e-mail them at info@millerandmillerauctions.com. To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.