A ca. 1905 Cretors & Company Model D horse-drawn popcorn wagon soared to $86,100, a late 19th-/early 20th-century owl Cigar Store reverse-painted glass sign topped out at $68,880, and a ca. 1920 Mr. Peanut Red Royal cast-iron peanut roaster realized $67,650 at Morphys General Antiques and Advertising Auction held Dec. 4 to 6. Overall, more than 1,500 lots crossed the block in an auction that grossed more than $2.7 million. All prices quoted in this report are inclusive of a 23 percent buyers premium, or as stated on Morphys website. Held live at Morphys West Coast satellite gallery in Las Vegas, the sale was headlined by the classic advertising, American pop culture and coin-op collection of Southern California businessman and entertainment industry professional Ray Claridge, with an additional 200-plus lots coming from longtime antique advertising collectors Mike and Darlene Peel. Ray Claridge founded and operated Cinema Vehicle Services, which built some of the most recognizable movie and TV cars of the modern era, including General Lee from Dukes of Hazzard and Herbie from The Love Bug. Decades later, Ray opened Back in the Day Classics in Orange, Calif., one of the regions largest advertising and memorabilia showrooms. He has had a deep involvement in West Coast racing culture for many years and played a major role in taking NASCAR to Japan. His wide-ranging interests, all of which embrace the freewheeling California lifestyle, were captured in their entirety in one big, dazzling collection that traversed the realm of American pop culture from its earliest days to the post-WWII era. The Cretors popcorn wagon was the top lot of the three days. Cretors & Company was founded in 1885, specializing in popcorn machines and other concession equipment. The horse-drawn cart was first offered in 1905 as a model D. The one sold, over 12 feet long, had undergone an extensive restoration. The owl Cigar Store sign was the sales runner-up top lot, and for good reason. Its one of the best reverse-painted glass signs known to exist. Promoting the wide range of cigars sold under the Owl brand, this important, investment-grade piece, with spectacular graphics, featured an extraordinary image of a perched owl with the phrase CIGAR STORE in large, bold lettering. The sign was housed in its original frame. The ca. 1920 Mr. Peanut Red Royal cast-iron peanut roaster came to auction in restored condition. Fully operational, the roaster featured Mr. Peanut himself, with electric motion to simulate running the roaster. The point-of-sale store display was an original Planters roaster restored with a contemporary Mr. Peanut figure. That wasnt the only Mr. Peanut item up for bid. A scene-stealer of monumental height, a 1950s-60s Planters Mr. Peanut fiberglass figure made by Old King Cole Mfg. Co., standing nearly 9 feet tall, found a new home for $49,200. It came from a limited run of promotional figures that Planters provided exclusively to distributors and retailers. The example sold is believed to have been used at the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Taking a prominent spot in the Gas and Oil section, a Wayne Model #492 10-gallon Roman column visible gas pump, with pinstriped details throughout, fetched $50,430. The pump had been given restoration. It had a white cloth hose with polished brass nozzle and a Gold Crown cast milk-glass globe. More than 100 lots represented brewery or distillery beverages. A S. B. Rothenberg (Oakland, Calif.) Fine Old Whiskey oversize whiskey bottle, with its original label under glass and housed in its original crate, nearly doubled its $20,000 high estimate with a final price of $39,360. In fact, everything about this amazing survivor was original, including the bottles contents. It was in 9.0 condition. A complete set of seven Ithaca tin mileage signs for Sieber Hardware, with the original shipping crate marked for the same Sieber Hardware and Implements Store in Woodland, Calif., breezed to realize $54,120. This would be an impossible set of Ithaca signs to locate individually, and these examples displayed great color and graphics. It was truly an amazing set of early Black Americana advertising. A historically significant early-20th-century Stop & Go semaphore traffic signal, 109 inches tall, made by the Acme Traffic Signal Company of Los Angeles and produced during the 1920s, changed hands for $41,820. The signal featured the distinctive mechanical STOP & GO arm on the side, paired with illuminated red STOP and green GO lenses, an innovative hybrid meant to ensure visibility in both daylight and nighttime traffic conditions. To learn more, email info@morphyauctions.com or visit www.morphyauctions.com. All images courtesy of Morphy Auctions.