A sporty black and yellow 1929 Whippet Model 96A four-cylinder roadster roared away for $25,960; vintage Canadian porcelain signs for White Rose service stations and Red Indian Motor Oils realized $17,700 and $14,160, respectively; and rare vintage Schuco toys fetched nice high prices in Miller & Miller online auctions held March 1 and 2. All prices in this report are in Canadian dollars and include an 18-percent buyers premium. The March 1 Toys Auction featured the late Howard Meyer Legacy Collection. Up for bid were 180 lots, all of them toys and dominated by examples from Schuco. Condition and rarity reign supreme as the determining factors when it comes to value in toys, said Justin Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd. Many of the toys in Howies collection were exceptional examples. Miller went on to say that many of the toys in the Meyer collection were also in their original boxes. That can often double or triple the values, he remarked, adding, The Meyer Schuco toy collection generated much international interest, not just in North America. In fact, many lots sold abroad. Its clear the market for quality vintage toys is solid around the world. The Petroliana and Advertising Auction on day two contained 398 lots of petroliana (gas station collectibles), advertising signs, toys, soda advertising and model planes. As the market for quality petroliana and advertising continues to mature, collectors are willing to pay higher and higher prices for top examples, according to Miller. He continued, Buyers are building collections, and many of them remain in holding positions, keeping the best advertising locked up long term.When the time arrives for an older collection to come to market, sellers are almost always rewarded with handsome returns on their investment. The 1929 Whippet was the overall top lot of the two days. The Whippet quickly became strong competition for its popular contemporary, the Willys Overland. Lighter and boasting a longer wheelbase, Whippets sales soon eclipsed the Overland. While its engine was smaller, advancements like pump-circulated cooling and full-pressure oiling made it the superior car. The 1940s Canadian White Rose Slate Boy double-sided large porcelain service station sign featuring Boy and Slate graphic was marked Villas Enamel Products Limited, Cowansville, P.Q. It more than doubled its $8,000 high estimate, selling for $17,700. A Canadian 1930s Red Indian Motor Oils single-sided porcelain sign boasted excellent color and gloss realized $14,160. It was marked Vilas Enamel Products Ltd., Cowansville, Que., to the lower right edge and bested its $9,000-$12,000 high estimate. A total of 563 online bidders placed a combined total of 10,722 bids across the two days, for a gross of $478,785. Internet bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com and the Miller & Miller Auctions website. A Murad Turkish Cigarettes single-sided tin sign, made in the U.S. in the 1900s, went for $11,800. The high estimate was $3,000. A 1930s American-made Wayne Model 60 Supertest Gasoline pump, made from steel, glass, plastic and rubber, 92 inches tall, finished at $10,620 against a high estimate of $7,500. The pump was restored to Supertest, including paint and reproduction globe lenses, dated 1995. Schuco toys are especially desirable to collectors in part because post-war German manufacturers were banned from exporting goods. Americans occupying the territories permitted the sale and export of toys so long as they were marked Made in U.S. Zone Germany. A mark used from the mid to late 1940s, with stock often continuing into the 1950s. The top earner of all the toy lots was a 1962 Schuco 6333 Disneyland Alweg-Monorail G-Set, marked Disneyland and Schuco on all parts, with track, cable, supports, a three-piece model monorail, and original box and instructions. It brought $2,124 against a high estimate of $700. A diecast tin plate 1950s Schuco Elektro 6080 construction fire truck with crane in excellent condition (hard to find in any condition and even harder with three original composition firemen figures), the ladder rotating and extending, with the original box, finished at $1,062. And finally, a 1950s Schuco Elektro Control-Car 5308 Mercedes Benz 220S lithographed tin and plastic toy car, often referred to as the driving school car, rare to find in complete and mint condition, a remote-controlled, battery-operated convertible in the original box, sped away for $826. For further information, email info@millerandmillerauctions.com or visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.