Empire Gasoline porcelain sign tops off at $10,450 at Matthews Auctions, Aug. 3 An Empire Gasoline double-sided porcelain sign with great color and gloss, 30 inches in diameter, sold for $10,450 at an auction held Aug. 3 by Matthews Auctions, LLC, in Des Moines, Iowa.
the left-hand mounting hole. Also, a Coca-Cola porcelain button sign with bottle graphics, 36 inches in diameter, rated 9+, with outstanding color and gloss, topped out at $1,650.
A Tomahawk Hi-Speed Motor Oil one-quart round metal can, with tomahawk graphics, rated 9 and 8.25, made by the Mohawk Refining Company (Newark, N.J.), with great color and gloss and the display side in excellent condition, went for $1,100; and a Reilly Oil Company porcelain pump plate for regular gas, 18 inches by 12 inches, rated 6.75 but very rare, hit $330.
Matthews Auctions’ next big sale will be the single-owner lifetime collection of William “Bill” Dagg, a man who accumulated thousands of items, mostly petroliana, country store, farm and advertising memorabilia. His collection will be auctioned the weekend of Sept. 14-16, at the gallery of the Southern Illinois Auction Company in Ina, Ill., a town located in southern Illinois.
Mr. Matthews said by the time the final gavel comes down on Sunday, Sept. 16, as many as 5,000 items will have changed hands. For people unable to attend the event in person, Internet bidding will be facilitated by Proxibid.com, and phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. Ina, Ill., is located about 50 miles southeast of St. Louis, Mo., not far from Interstates 57 and 64.
The action will kick off on Friday, Sept. 14, at 3 p.m. (CST), with a session dedicated to coffee cans, cereal boxes and containers, tobacco tins, signs and advertising, beer and soda cans, quart oil cans and handy oilers - over 400 lots in all. A day-long preview will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Previews for the Saturday and Sunday sessions will be held from 8-9 a.m. on both days.
The Saturday, Sept. 15 session will feature petroliana, soda, automobilia, hunting, outboard, country store, signs, globes and nearly 100 antique clocks – more than 500 lots. The Sunday session (Sept. 16, with a 9 a.m. start time) will feature over 500 lots of farm collectibles (tractor, seed, animal and fertilizer), petroliana and soda, toys and additional vintage clocks. A color catalog for this sale is available for $25 plus shipping. To order one, call 877-968-8880.
Matthews Auctions, LLC is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign a single item, an estate or an entire collection, you may call them toll-free at (877) 968-8880, or you can send an e-mail to Dan Matthews, at danm@matthewsauctions.com.
Mr. Matthews has written a book about petroliana, titled The Fine Art of Collecting Petroliana. For information on how to order a copy, please log on to the Matthews Auctions, LLC website, at www.matthewsauctions.com. For more information about Matthews Auctions, LLC, and the Sept. 14-16 auction in Ina, Ill., please log on to www.matthewsauctions.com.
