Ron Wallace Collection to be sold by Showtime Oct. 2-4 The Ron Wallace Collection -- an amazing accumulation of vintage advertising, gambling, saloon, brothel, country store and general store items -- will be sold Oct. 2-4 by Showtime Auction Services.
Kaufmann & Strauss Co. and dated 1893; an exceedingly rare Jeweled Cigar trade sign with two-side light-up, quite possibly the only one of its kind in existence; and a hard-to-find Oldsmobile and Cadillac neon porcelain sign, two-sided, in excellent working condition. The sign is approximately 13 feet in height.
From the vintage toys group, expected top lots include An all-original Buddy L water tower fire truck, one of the rarest of the 1920s fire trucks, with a real working pumper that can spray up to 25 feet; a Sturdy Toy 1920s dairy tanker pressed steel tractor and trailer; an unusual 1920s Keystone pressed steel Packard tank truck with a yellow tank; and a toy 1954 Mercury convertible car with a travel trailer.
Other anticipated top lots include a rare Caille Centaur 50-cent upright slot machine with mahogany cabinet and nickel-plated trim, in excellent working condition; a Red Wing Grape Juice bottle topper boasting fabulous color and featuring graphics of a boy and a girl; and a rare Black Americana mechanical fishing boy. When it’s plugged in, the boy’s head nods and his eyes move back and forth.
A preview will be held on Friday, Oct. 2, from 8 a.m. to noon, with a free hot breakfast served from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The auction that day will run from noon to 5 p.m. for a live audience only, no Internet bidding. On Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 3-4), previews will be held from 8-9 a.m. The auction on Saturday, Oct. 3, will run from 9-5; on Sunday, Oct. 4, the auction hours are from 9-4. Internet, phone and left bids will be accepted on Saturday and Sunday.
People planning to attend the auction can get to Ann Arbor by flying into Detroit (DTW). The preferred hotel is The Weber’s Inn in Ann Arbor, located about 25 minutes from the airport. Their phone number for reservations is (734) 769-2500. Room-hopping is encouraged. A flyer providing more auction details will be printed around Aug. 1, and a full-color, 180-page catalog with accompanying CD showing many of the items to be sold will be available around Sept.1, at a cost of $35. To order one, you may call Carol at 316-721-5236.
Showtime Auction Services is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions. To consign an item, an estate or a collection, you may call Michael Eckles of Showtime Auction Services at (951) 453-2415. His e-mail address is mikeckles@aol.com. To learn more about Showtime Auction Services, the Oct. 2-4 auction, and the estate of Ron Wallace, log on to www.showtimeauctions.com.
