1,260-lot sale includes brewery, automotive, tobacco, Mr. Peanut, many other categories

Coca-Cola trompe-l’oeil window display, 1937, 47 x 51 inches, among the rarest of all Coke advertising items, est. ,000-,000. Morphy Auctions image.

DENVER, Pa. – A wealth of rare antique signs, figures and other promotional items from the golden era of advertising is currently on display at Morphy’s central Pennsylvania gallery, all to be auctioned on Friday and Saturday, April 20-21. The 1,260-lot sale incorporates a fantastic array of signage, with the centerpiece being the revered Coca-Cola advertising collection of the late Michael Narvaez. Also featured are Moxie items from the Dick Shay collection, as well as other soda pop lots.

The Friday session begins with a collection of 120 occupational shaving mugs. Top lots include mugs with depictions of a steam pump, horse-drawn delivery wagon and an open-air truck. Additionally, a rare mug with a photographic image of a steam accessory will be offered.

Cast-iron Standing Frog doorstop, 14 inches, est. ,500-,000. Morphy Auctions image.

More than 80 figural cast-iron doorstops, doorknockers, bookends and other novelties will follow. Among the most coveted doorstops are a standing frog, standing honey bear and rabbit. Other standouts in the group include a cast-iron Nichols doorknocker, est. 0-,000; and two carnival targets – a paratrooper, ,000-,000; and a mechanical owl, ,000-,000.

Highlights among the 170 lots of general store and mixed advertising include a near-pristine Skinner’s Satin (Holyoke, Mass.) oval sign with the image of an Indian in a full headdress. It is the only example Morphy’s experts have ever seen and is estimated at ,000-,000.

An embossed tin Sweet Orr Overalls sign is in near-mint condition and expected to make ,000-,000; while an extremely rare 1905 Beeman’s Pepsin Gum wood-framed tin sign that came directly from the Beeman’s factory could make ,000-,000. The ever-popular Mr. Peanut weighs in at the auction with a ,000-,000 estimate for a beautiful 3½-ft. figural Hamilton scale in original, untouched condition. It is one of 30 Planters Mr. Peanut items to be offered by Morphy’s. Many other popular characters are depicted within the lineup of 50+ advertising figures to be auctioned.

Sweet Orr & Co. Overalls advertising sign, tin, circa 1890s, est. ,000-,000. Morphy Auctions image.

Collectors of tobacco-related advertising will find plenty of tempting items in this sale, like the circa-1880s Pride of Durham Smoking Tobacco tin [Wells & Hope Co.] with a lion motif, ,000-,000. Another beauty in the tobacciana grouping is the circa-1910 Stein Club Havana Cigars sign in excellent condition with strong colors.

“We’ve estimated the Stein Club sign at ,000-,000, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it went higher,” said Morphy’s CEO Dan Morphy. “A few years ago a different example of this very scarce sign sold for over ,000.”

Frank Fehr Brewing Co. Bock Beer poster, est. ,000-,000. Morphy Auctions image.

The effervescent Saturday session will focus predominantly on the 400 lots of Coca-Cola advertisements, ephemera and other rare and desirable Coke items from the collection of the late Michael Narvaez.

Well liked by his fellow collectors, Michael Narvaez had a passion for collecting that blossomed after his retirement from the Coca-Cola Co. in 1979. Michael and his wife, Joyce, became restaurateurs and decorated their Salinas, Calif., establishment The Recipe Box exclusively with beautiful antique and vintage signage and promotional items for the world’s favorite soft drink. Their collection encompassed festoons, lighted signs, clocks, posters and calendars.

Morphy’s specialist in Coca-Cola advertising, Gary Metz, said Narvaez loved sharing his collection and was “a responsible custodian of anything he acquired…handcrafting beautiful walnut frames and using either museum glass or UV-filtering Plexiglas to protect and preserve the calendars and advertising he framed.”

1898 Coca-Cola calendar, very rare, book example from ‘Petretti’s Coca-Cola Price Guide,’ est. ,000-,000. Morphy Auctions image.

One of the top pieces in the Narvaez collection is a matted and framed 1898 calendar, one of very few known, featuring a beauty of the day and estimated at ,000-,000. An 1899 Coke calendar, est. ,000-,000, is another of the more than 60 Coke calendars in the sale. The calendars span a pop culture timeline that begins in 1898 and runs through the 1940s. Another rarity, a 1910 Coke poster is estimated at ,000-,000.

An incredible 2-piece window display from 1937 stands 4 ft. tall and depicts a revolving door with a trompe-l’oeil view inside a restaurant and soda fountain. Advertising “The Pleasantest Place in Town,” this colorful slice of Main Street American nostalgia carries a presale estimate of ,000-,000.

A Coca-Cola leaded-glass hanging globe made by Metropolitan Glass Company is one of only about a half dozen known examples. “All that are known came out of New York,” said Morphy. “This one was in a soda shop in Queens. When it closed, the owners gave the globe to their Coca-Cola deliveryman as a gift. It has remained in the man’s family ever since, passing down through three generations.” Estimate: ,000-,000.

Leaded-glass Coca-Cola hanging globe with 200 glass panels, late teens to early 1920s, est. ,000-,000. Morphy Auctions image.

The remainder of the session is devoted to Moxie items from the collection of Dick Shay, a now-retired Ohio native who spent many years scouring the United States for the rarest and best pieces available. An elusive Moxie tip tray from the early 1900s is estimated at ,400-,800. Leading the selection of general soda pop advertising in Saturday’s session is an embossed tin Modox sign in excellent-plus condition. It features the image of an Indian in full headdress and is expected to reach ,000-,000.

Both the April 20 and 21 auction sessions will commence at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the Internet through Morphy Live or LiveAuctioneers.com. View the fully illustrated catalog online at www.morphyauctions.com or www.liveauctioneers.com. For additional information, call 717-335-3435 or e-mail serena@morphyauctions.com. Visit Morphy Auctions online at www.morphyauctions.com.

blog.antiques.com

Click here to buy!

  This nice old advertising tin with metal  handle originally held spools of Brooks cotton thread. It measures 5 x 3 x 1/12 inches. It has a few scratches and a small dent on the lip on one side which you don’t see when it’s closed.  It closes firmly and opens without any problems. It’s a great box to use for display or to fill and use as a sewing kit. E-mail me with questions before you bid and take a look at my other auctions. Multiple purchases may be combined to save on shipping costs.

Find more details about this item…

ANTIQUES N ARTS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtkM6cZoc60

THOUGHT THIS WAS INTERESTING. 

Everyone’s Blog Posts – I Antique Online

DENVER, Pa. – The 40-year collection of antique advertising tins, signs, store displays and promotional items amassed by Chicago design executives David and Marcia Hirsch made 0,000 (inclusive of 15% buyer’s premium) in a Nov. 19-20 auction held at Dan Morphy’s gallery in Lancaster County, Pa.

Home Run Cigar tin with colorful baseball theme, one of few known examples, top lot of the sale at ,400. Morphy Auctions image.

More than half of the articles offered in the 1,520-lot sale pertained to tobacco, with as many as 500 of them associated with cigars – a category that has continued to show strength in the marketplace. The auction’s top lot was an early, richly illustrated tin that once held Home Run Cigars. As implied by its name, the tin’s motif depicts baseball players in action on a baseball diamond, with a runner sliding across home plate to score a run amid clouds of dust. Described in the auction catalog as “one of few known examples,” and displaying the best condition among those whose existence is known, it easily surpassed its ,000-,000 estimate to achieve ,400.

Made by a different cigar manufacturer but having a similar name, a Home-Run Stogie tin from J.A. Rigby Cigar Co., of Mansfield, Ohio, featured images of baseball players on both sides and the price “3 for 5 cents.” Retaining its rich sky blue, crimson and white coloration, the near-mint tin shot past its estimate to land at ,600.

Porcelain flange sign advertising Spalding Athletic Goods, one of three known examples, ,500. Morphy Auctions image.

Yet another rarity with a baseball theme, a Spalding Athletic Goods double-sided porcelain flange signdepicting the company’s stitched-baseball trademark measured 19½ inches in diameter and was in eye-popping near-mint condition. Estimated at ,000-,000, it was bid to ,500.

A Poppy Cigar tin manufactured in California was decorated with the

Poppy Cigar tin, rare California tin made by American Can Co., ,450. Morphy Auctions image.

image of a turn of the century beauty surrounded by border of red-and-yellow poppies. Described by the auction house company’s owner and CEO Dan Morphy as “a highly sought-after but rarely found tin,” it garnered a winning bid of ,450.

Other “pretty lady” images that found favor with the crowd included a 1902 diamond-shape sign for Burdena Broad Leaf Cigars, ,200 (estimate 0-,200) and a stunning reverse-on-glass advertisement for Opia Cigars with a mysterious veiled woman posed dramatically against stars and poppies, ,200 (estimate ,000-,500).

Another lovely feminine character was the brunette lady in off-the-shoulder evening attire gracing the Exquisite Cut Plug Tobacco flat pocket tin from Larus & Bro., Richmond, Va. Against an estimate of 0-,200, it hammered ,185. An elusive Columbia Dome square-corner tin created for Cameron & Cameron’s Mixture No. 2 boasted colorful graphics on all sides. It sold for ,750.

Ever-Ready Shaving Brushes store display with 20 brushes and six packs of razor blades, ,750. Morphy Auctions image.

A handsome metal with glass store counter display for Ever-Ready Shaving Brushes retained 10 soap brushes with variously colored handles, as well as six packs of razor blades. Its die-cut marquee included the company’s widely identifiable man with lathered face and razor logo. Against an estimate of ,000-,000, it made ,750.

Predicted to be one of the sale’s top lots, a 19th-century lithographed heavy paper sign advertising Sweet, Orr & Co. Union Made Overalls featured a cartouche with the image of two teams playing tug of war with a pair of seemingly indestructible denim pants. Given a generous estimate range of ,000-,000 owing to its rarity, it realized ,750.

A crowd-pleasing lot that drew a surprising price was the Yellow Kid Ginger Wafer tin with bonus addition of a cloth-gowned puppet depicting the early comic strip character. Around the puppet’s neck was a celluloid cigarette pin with Yellow Kid patois reading: “Dis is Easy Shot.” The two-piece lot with multiple crossover appeal handily outdistanced its 0-,200 estimate to reach a final bid of ,350.

Lot of two Yellow Kid items including Ginger Wafer tin and puppet/doll on stand with celluloid cigarette pin attached to gown, ,350. Morphy Auctions image.

Dan Morphy remarked that a “strong crowd of interested bidders” was present for the sale. “Everyone who collects antique advertising knows David and Marcia Hirsch. They are two of the most involved and best-liked collectors in the hobby,” Morphy said. “It was such a pleasure to be able to offer their collection at auction. Our entire team loved working with them and handling the amazing assortment of signs and tins they had acquired over so many years.”

After the sale, David Hirsch commented: “I could not have asked for anything more from an auction house. The entire staff at Morphy’s is a very skilled group of people. I particularly enjoyed working with the design and production group. They were most gracious in incorporating my comments and suggestions. Since my professional background is in graphic design, it added to the enjoyment of the whole project. It was like working with family.”

Marcia Hirsch remarked that she and her husband did not fully realize what a major undertaking it would be to prepare their collection for auction until they were actually immersed “into the process…Unless you were there, you couldn’t imagine the amount of detailing and quality of service we received.” As for seller’s remorse, there wasn’t any, Marcia said. “We had no regrets about parting with the collection, but once the decision was made to sell it, we just moved forward. It was the right time to do it, and we were just fine with it,” she said.

Morphy Auctions will conduct a General Antiques sale on Jan. 22, 2011; and an Antique Toy sale on Jan. 29, 2011. For additional information on upcoming auctions, visit Morphy’s online at www.MorphyAuctions.com. Tel. 717-335-3435 or e-mail dan@morphyauctions.com.

blog.antiques.com