This all-original Studebaker Art Deco porcelain and neon bullnose sign sold solidly within estimate for $19,305 to an online bidder. The double-sided sign with cobalt blue, red and white motif, made by sign manufacturer Walker & Co., came from an advanced private collection.
Review by W.A. Demers
WILLOUGHBY, OHIO — The star attraction of Milestone Auctions’ June 15 sale was an all-original Studebaker Art Deco porcelain and neon bullnose sign, which sold solidly within estimate for $19,305 to an online bidder. The double-sided sign was painted with a sharp-looking cobalt blue, red and white motif and measured 10 feet 6 inches long, 47 inches tall from the top to the Studebaker red dot, and 2 feet tall at the other end. It was made by sign manufacturer Walker & Co., and came from an advanced private collection. Of course, you must pack that Studebaker with something. How about a Louis Vuitton car trunk with cases? It followed the sign, selling for $19,800.
More vintage advertising signs, toys, coin-ops and old coins made up this 814-lot sale, which totaled $650,000 with a 90 percent sell-through rate, according to Miles King, the firm’s co-owner.
Like the Studebaker sign, a double-sided round porcelain sign for Cadillac Authorized Service effectively conveyed its message with the use of a primary color. Also by Walker & Co., Detroit, this sign, with the distinctive Cadillac brand’s crown-and-shield French coat of arms, brought $11,700.
A price of $12,000 was posted for a Chevron porcelain and neon three-dimensional sign, which exhibited great colors. The catalog noted that while the neon was in great shape, the 32-by-23-inch sign flickers but does not light up.
This Chevron porcelain neon three-dimensional sign topped off at $12,000.
Boasting a bright palette of colors, a “Night Lubrication” double-sided porcelain sign produced for Shell Gasoline & Oils Co., came with a stand and measured 31¾ inches tall. It more than doubled its high $5,000 estimate, clocking $11,700.
Paddles were airborne for a Pontiac Authorized Service sign that made $10,762. The double-sided porcelain example had great colors and clean fields with only a minor chip or two. All in all, it was a great looking sign.
And who could resist the iconic sign advertising the granddaddy of petroleum companies, the Standard Oil Company, founded in 1870 by John D. Rockefeller. The double-sided porcelain service station sign retained its nice colors but was missing its flame. Still, the 59-by-42-inch sign made a great display and left the gallery at $5,904.
An emerging popular subcategory in vintage plate signage are those examples that are made specifically to affix to something. The auction offered a great example in the form of a Cressman’s Counsellor 5-cent Cigar flange sign with lettering and background color to die for. Estimated at just $300/500, the double-sided porcelain sign, 20 by 10 inches, lit up to $4,059.
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. For information, www.milestoneauctions.com or 440-527-8060.
