Sinclair Aircraft double-sided porcelain sign soars to $19,800 at Matthews Auctions A Sinclair Aircraft double-sided porcelain sign with plane graphics sold for $19,800 at the sale of the lifetime single-owner collection of William “Bill” Dagg held Sept. 14-16 by Matthews Auctions.
News-Antique.com - Sep 19,2012 - (INA, Ill.) – An exceedingly rare Sinclair Aircraft double-sided porcelain sign with plane graphics, 48 inches in diameter and rated just 7.9 out of 10 on both sides for condition but still desirable because of its rarity regardless of any flaws, sold for $19,800 at the sale of the lifetime single-owner collection of William “Bill” Dagg held Sept. 14-16 by Matthews Auctions, LLC.
Despite some fading on both sides and some small chips, too, the Sinclair sign was by far the top lot in a sale held at the Ina facilities of Southern Illinois Auction Company (Matthews Auctions is based in Nokomis, Ill.). Mr. Dagg, a resident of Wayne City, Ill., not far from Ina, consigned thousands of items, mostly petroliana, country store, farm and advertising collectibles.
It was a massive collection, so big three days were needed to auction it. By the time the final hammer came down, over 5,000 items (some of them sold in multiple lots) changed hands. That included the three days in the main venue plus two separate auction rings that hummed with activity on Saturday and Sunday. About 300 people attended the event live; others bid by phone.
But perhaps most impressive were the 575 people who registered to bid online (through Proxibid.com). “That was a record number of online bidders, nearly doubling the old record,” said Dan Matthews of Matthews Auctions, LLC. “It was a great sale, with lots of variety. I was amazed at how much some items sold for. Overall we grossed 30 percent more than I predicted.”
Following are additional highlights from the auction. All prices quoted include a 10 percent buyer’s premium.
Two other lots topped the $5,000 mark. A Studebaker Cars-Trucks single-sided porcelain neon sign mounted on a can in very good condition, rated 9+ and measuring 88 inches by 33 inches by 6 inches, garnered $5,500; and a rare Campbell’s Condensed Vegetable Soup single-sided porcelain curved sign, rated 7 and measuring 22 inches by 15 inches, commanded $5,225.
A Penn Drake “100% Pure Pennsylvania Oil” double-sided tin sign with seal, 30 inches in diameter and rated 8.5, showing only minor wear to the reverse side, soared to $4,125. Also, a Goodyear Service Station die-cut porcelain flange sign with world-in-tire graphics and boasting super gloss and color, rated 8.9, measuring 30 inches by 26 inches, changed hands for $3,960.
A pair of lots finished with identical prices realized of $3,850. One was an Indian Gas milk glass globe body, with Havoline signage down the sides, rated highly at 9.5 and having been repainted very well. The other was a scarce Ebbert Waggons original single-sided tin sign (“In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree”) with great graphics, rated 9, measuring 26 by 38 inches.
A Maxwell House tin flange sign with great graphics, rated 9 and measuring 27 inches by 14 inches, breezed to $3,520; a rare Liberty “80” Guaranteed porcelain pump plate sign with super gloss and color, 14 inches by 10 inches, rated 8, made $3,025;
