It was fifth gear all the way with Morphy’s most recent Premier Automobilia and Petroliana auction. This two-day event, held on July 23 and 24, featured over 1,500 outstanding lots. After the final bid hit the brakes, 33 lots realized $10,000-$19,999; 10 lots realized $20,000-74,999; and two lots topped off at more than $75,000. All prices reported include Morphy's 22 percent buyer’s premium.
Two signs clearly were in a class by themselves by collectors’ standards. The first, lot #210, was a 42-inch diameter Kelly Tires “Lotta Miles” porcelain sign featuring a beautiful girl in a matching red hat and coat behind the wheel of a car. This fine example, with excellent gloss and color, generated a-lotta interest to realize $88,450. And bird’s the word with this second collectors’ highlight - lot #1080, a Polly Gas iconic parrot image diecut sign. This two-piece sign, measuring an impressive 74-by-48-inches, took flight at $85,400.
This sale offered a Sunday drive’s worth of interesting and important car-themed signs. Lot #937, an Associated Motor Oils porcelain sign marked “Ingram Richardson Beaver Falls, PA” and promising “more miles to the gallon,” did just that. It more than quadrupled its low estimate to realize $32,940. Lot #500, a Red Hat motor oil gasoline porcelain was a headliner at $24,400. Lot #3, a black and white triangular diecut “Packard Genuine Parts Only,” was the real-deal at $23,180. And lot #501, a hard-to-find, double-sided Cadillac "Standard of the World" porcelain sign, set the bar at $18,300.
This sale’s offering of outstanding lenses and globes clearly caught the eye of collectors all over the world. Lot #165, Red Fox gasoline globe lenses in an unusually wide globe body, outfoxed their low estimate by more than three times to realize $20,740. Lot #1054, a Rainbow Gasoline motor oil single globe lens, generated a spectrum of interest and finally sold for $23,180. And two Indian-themed offerings were of chief concern in this category. Lot #1055, an Indian Gasoline globe with Havoline etched in the sides, more than tripled its low estimate to realize $36,600. And lot #1171, Tioga Gasoline Globe Lenses featuring a side view of an Indian in full headdress, was a profile in excellence in realizing $21,350.
This auction’s fine selection of over 80 vintage gasoline pumps was truly iron-clad. Change was in the air with lot #122, a Starkley #C coin operated ten-gallon visible pump. This 112-inch-tall, hard-to-find example flexed its muscles to realize $19,520, almost twice its low estimate.
"This final Kyle Moore collection sales events was truly a high note in this four-part sale. Enthusiasts clearly could not get enough of the amazing examples offered through these sales. It is absolutely astonishing to realize that the Moore collection realized over $16 million at auction! I want to thank the Moore family, as well as my outstanding auction staff, in helping to bring these breathtaking selections to the attention of the international automobilia and petroliana collecting communities,” said Dan Morphy.
Morphy Auctions is located at 2000 N. Reading Road, Denver, Pa.
To learn more, call 717-335-3435, email info@morphyauctions.com or visit www.MorphyAuctions.com.