Morphy's Feb. 17-19 Automobilia & Petroliana Auction Features Motoring-Related Signage & Antiques

Collectors, start your engines! Morphy’s is gearing up for a massive February 17-19 Automobilia & Petroliana auction that’s packed with nearly 1,500 lots of motoring-related signage and service station items to please even the most discerning collectors. The event will be held live at Morphy’s Pennsylvania gallery, with all forms of remote bidding available, including live via the internet through Morphy Live.

Many of the higher-estimated lots will be offered on Day 1. Tops among them is an ultra-rare and high-grade single-sided tin sign for Ace High Motor Oil, with car and airplane graphic. Measuring 7¾ inches by 13¼ inches, the sign is certified and graded 88 by AGS, the premier authentication and grading service for antique advertising. It has excellent color and gloss throughout the field and is one of the highest-grade examples of this type of sign that Morphy has ever sold. The estimate is $15,000-$30,000.

Another anticipated high achiever is a complete double-sided porcelain OK Used Cars neon sign. It is an outstanding example of an iconic sign that shows excellent working neon throughout each side, with original bullnose attachments. It has been graded 8.75 and is expected to realize $15,000-$25,000. It’s not a standard shippable item and will require third party shipping or pickup arrangements to be made. The shipping crate measures 72 inches by 46½ inches by 25½ inches.

A Hancock Gasoline porcelain pump plate with full-feather rooster graphic, AGS graded 91 and beautifully presented throughout, is expected to change hands $10,000-$20,000. The sign exhibits superb color and gloss, with no notable field wear, and the graphic of the rooster mascot on this clean, 12-inch-diameter sign is in outstanding condition. The long-defunct Hancock Oil Company was one of the earliest fuel brands in the United States, operating many service stations along the West Coast.

A complete Ben Franklin “Premium Regular Gasoline” gas pump globe, 13¼ inches on a red ripple gill body, features an eye-catching Ben Franklin graphic graded 9.0 and 8.5. It should hammer in the region of $10,000-$14,000. The rare globe appears to have never been taken apart, while the red ripple is in excellent condition throughout. Also, the original copper collar is intact. The Ben Franklin Refining Company was based in Ardmore, Oklahoma, and rose to prominence in the first half of the 20th century.

A scarce double-sided bottle-shape tin neon sign for Pepsi-Cola, a very cool vintage piece graded 8.0, carries a pre-sale estimate of $5,000-$15,000. Supported by a metal stand, the sign was once prominently displayed over the main entrance to the Pepsi bottling plant in Fargo, North Dakota. Impressively sized, it would make a wonderful addition to any soda pop collection. Its shipping crate is sized 77 inches by 66 inches by 20½ inches.

A brightly-colored and embossed single-sided tin sign advertising Everlasting Roof and Metal Paint (“Old Government Paints”) by the United States Refining Company out of Cleveland, Ohio, should fetch $5,000-$10,000. Boasting a great graphic of Uncle Sam standing on the Capitol Dome, the sign was produced by Meek & Beach Company of Coshocton, Ohio. It exhibits great color and good shine. It measures 9¾ inches by 13¾ inches and has been graded 8.7.

A Canadian twin 10-gallon double visible gas pump showing an older restoration in red and gold is impressive at 99 inches tall by 40 inches wide and is expected to ring up $5,000-$10,000. The pump is overall fair, showing areas of age and storage wear to the restoration. It shows two glass cylinders (one of them cracked), with upper bonnets in excellent condition. The pump needs some adjustments to achieve top condition and should improve greatly with a cleaning.

A circa-1920s one-gallon can from the Valvoline Oil Company, made specifically for Indian Motorcycles and maker-marked “Enterprise Stamping, Pittsburgh, Pa.,” is estimated at $5,000-$10,000. Overall, the can is bright and glossy on each side, showing a clean Native American graphic on both sides. Each side also has “Panhard Cycle’ handwritten into the grade panel. Both the original lid and carrying handle are intact. The grade of this iconic Indian can is 8.0.

Rounding out this handful of expected Day 1 top lots is a single-sided porcelain embossed porcelain sign for Flying A Service, showing the winged capital letter “A” logo against a bright red background. Graded 8.0 and exhibiting wonderful color and gloss, this sign is another large item that will require third party shipping. It’s 62 inches by 48 inches and should attract a $4,000-$8,000 winning bid on auction day.

On to Day 2, where one of the undisputed headliners is a spectacular art deco Pabst Blue Ribbon double-sided porcelain neon sign with unique glass face inserts. The sign is mounted to the original can, which is rust- and rot-free. Overall, it’s an extremely fine example of breweriana that would complement any collection. It’s large at 58 inches by 11 inches by 38 inches and will require third party shipping. The grades are 8.9+ both sides and the estimate is $5,000-$10,000.

A rare, circa 1920s single-sided curved porcelain Campbell’s Tomato Soup can sign, measuring 22½ inches by 12¾ inches and graded 8.5+, boasts exceptional color and gloss. It is estimated at $6,000-$12,000. The iconic Campbell’s Tomato Soup can went from grocery store staple to pop art superstardom thanks to Andy Warhol, whose original prints depicting the can now sell for dizzying prices at auction.

Bottle collectors take note: the auction features a colorful selection of bottles and flasks, including a beautiful amber-colored half-pint flask with a profile of Lafayette facing right. The 2¼-inch flask is estimated at $1,000-$2,000.

The February 17-19 auction of automobilia, petroliana, advertising, bottles and flasks will be held live at Morphy’s gallery, 2000 N. Reading Rd., Denver, PA 17517, starting at 9am Eastern Time all three days. All forms of bidding will be available, including absentee, by phone and live via the Internet through Morphy Live. For questions pertaining to any item in the auction, to reserve a phone line, or to discuss consigning to a future Automobilia & Petroliana auction at Morphy’s, call 877-968-8880, email info@morphyauctions.com. Visit Morphy’s online at www.morphyauctions.com.

About Morphy Auctions:
Morphy Auctions in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania has become one of the great success stories of the antiques auctions trade. Founded by Dan Morphy in 1997. Morphy’s has realized tremendous growth and set numerous world antique auction records in many categories, while attracting a global following of buyers that grows exponentially with each successive sale.

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