The first item sold brought the sale’s highest price, $34,500. It was a flanged sign advertising the Boyce MotoMeter, one of the first aftermarket items sold for automobiles.
Review & Photos by Rick Russack
PIKE, N.H. — Josh Steenburgh admitted that scheduling an auction outdoor, under an unheated tent open on four sides, at the end of October in northern New Hampshire was a “gutsy” call. And, as with some decisions like this, you win some and lose some. The sale was October 29, and the weather was — to use one word — awful. Had it been the day before when the sun was out and the temperature was in 70s, he and his customers would have said it was a beautiful day for an auction. But he missed that weather by just a few hours. By the time the sale began, it was 39 degrees and rain mixed with hail was falling. But interestingly, it didn’t seem to matter. The tent was as full as it probably would have been the day before.
Steenburgh’s sales are live. There’s no internet or phone bidding although left bids are processed. You had to be there, or have previewed the sale, if you wanted to bid on something. It probably didn’t hurt that he was selling a well-known local collection, that of Donald “Kat” Morrow of Bethlehem, N.H. Sadly, Morrow, 85 years old, and Ellen, his wife, unexpectedly and tragically passed away earlier this year in a traffic accident with a logging truck. Much of his petroliana collection, large porcelain signs and old gas pumps, had been on display for years outside his home along Route 116, known as the Whitefield Road in Bethlehem, N.H. Thousands of cars passed by daily. In addition to the dozens of large oil company porcelain advertising signs and early gas pumps, the collection included numerous license plate toppers, oil cans and advertising, toy trucks, some John Deere equipment and a large selection of shop tools. Morrow had been employed by the Laconia Electric Company, and before that he had been a driver for different fuel companies, driving many of the back roads of New Hampshire, and nearly all of his things were acquired locally.
The sale drew a large crowd of buyers from at least six different states, most of whom were not regular customers of the Steenburghs. Both Josh and his father Archie commented that they knew very few of the buyers. The parking lot was fuller than it has been for previous sales. The vehicles were pickup trucks and vans, not the expensive sedans you might see at other auctions. Many of the bidders at this sale were friends with one another, and small groups of potential bidders gathered around certain objects to offer their opinions on the merits of an item. That’s a noticeable contrast to regular antiques auctions where there’s much less chatting among prospective bidders. Josh Steenburgh was asked how he attracted such a large, specialist crowd. “In addition to our regular print advertising in Antiques and The Arts Weekly and Maine Antique Digest, we made extensive use of Facebook and Instagram. Facebook has several groups for those interested in porcelain signs and other gas station things and they were active in the days before the sale. That certainly helped.”
Donald “Kat” Morrow of Bethlehem, N.H., collected petroliana for more than 50 years. He and his wife died earlier this year from injuries sustained from a collision with a log truck.
The first item sold – and the highest price of the day – was a double-sided flanged sign advertising Boyce MotoMeters, which finished at $34,500. The device was patented in 1912 and – at a time when many cars overheated – showed motorists the engine temperature. The device was mounted on the radiator and allowed drivers to monitor engine temperature from the drivers’ seat. The device was so helpful that, although at first sold as an after-market device, they were soon included as standard equipment by several automakers. There was no question about the interest in this item. The opening bid was $27,000. Another flanged sign, denoting a Raybestos service station providing brake service, sold for $4,025.
The dozens of large porcelain gasoline company signs and gas pumps were the centerpieces of the collection. Topping the collection was a double-sided Shell sign in the shape of a large seashell that was 46 inches across. It sold for $8,855. An Irving Oil Company sign earned $6,785, and two Flying A signs did well, as one, 77 inches wide, earned $5,635 and the other brought $5,175.
There were numerous gas pumps in the collection which, in general, brought less than the signs. They represented different styles and time periods. Many were meter-type pumps with glass globes, some of which probably went back to the 1930s. Others were “computer” pumps, slightly later although some still had glass globes. Some of the pumps still showed the per gallon price when they were last used. Some prices shown were as low as 30 cents a gallon, reminding one of the Tom T. Hall song “Back When Gas Was 30 Cents a Gallon, Love was Only 60 Cents Away.” An early Phillips 66 meter-style pump with a clock-like face that showed the amount of fuel pumped sold for $3,910. A pump for Husky gas, with a glass dome and large colorful decal picturing a husky dog, sold for $2,415. A glass-domed pump for Musgo gasoline, “Michigan’s Mile Maker” picturing a Native American wearing a large feather headdress, went out for $1,610. There were pumps for Red Crown, Hancock, Signal, Johnson, and this is only a partial list.
Thousands of cars a day passed Morrow’s home where part of his collection was easily visible to passing motorists.
License plate toppers, as the story goes, served a variety of purposes and were the forerunner of bumper stickers. The most popular ones in this sale represented New Hampshire tourist attractions. Selling for $776 was a large example advertising the “Old Man of The Mountain” in Franconia Notch. One for the aerial tramway at Cannon Mountain, also in Franconia Notch, brought $604. Still another, advertising Franconia Notch itself, earned $575. One for the Cog Railway brought $431. These toppers were also used for advertising and promoting various makes of cars and many other things along with tourist destinations. It is said that medical toppers, with lettering for MD, RX, DDS and RN were sometimes recognized by police as an excuse for speeding, especially if the car was headed towards a hospital.
There was large selection of oil cans and related advertising. Earning $201 was a can for Hollingshead oil. Many were sold in lots. There were also tray lots of Hess toys, and a 6-foot-tall painted sheet metal dragon that may have been the best buy of the sale earned $575. A large sheet metal praying mantis lawn ornament earned $259, tools sold in lots and a selection of humorous signs that Kat Morrow had made for own amusement were also sold.
Most of the large signs and gas pumps were on view alongside the auction tents.
After the sale, Steenburgh said, “Everything was sold and the collection grossed about $250,000. The family was delighted. The parking lot was fuller than it’s ever been, and we had about 150 registered bidders but there were many more people than that. I know the weather was rotten but I don’t know that any buyers stayed away. Kat and his wife dying the way they did was unfortunate, and I’m glad we were able to deliver for the family. We’ve a heavy schedule of sales planned over the next few months. I promise they’ll be indoors.”
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. For information, www.steenburgh.com or 603-303-3072.
