Weekend road trips. Thousands of miles on backroads and byways. Lunch in Main Street cafes. All in search of that special addition to that special collection. Weve all discovered the magic of hunting for antiques and love the stories. Weve lived them. Weve shared them. To some, its as much about the hunt as the object itself. So when you have the opportunity to look through the fruits of years and years and literally millions of miles of the hunt, dont miss it. Gathered from every nook and cranny across America, nearly 2,500 lots will be coming to auction at Rich Penn Auctions special sale scheduled for Thursday, July 23, to Sunday, July 26. It is one on the largest assemblages ever offered by Penn and is all unreserved. This auction offers a truly spectacular variety, including the coolest and biggest toy truck weve ever offered, said Penn. This restored 1927 Model T Cretors Popcorn truck has been in service for the better part of 100 years. There are smaller trucks too and a large selection of John Deere toys, many NOS with boxes. And a whole fleet of great pedal cars, American National, Garton, Gendron, Murray and others. Nearly all are restored. Pressed steel trucks, windups, cast-iron banks and lots more, added Penn. A nice collection of Popeye windup toys will find new homes too. And some of these are so rare, you could spend a long time hunting and never find them, toys like these: Popeye and Row Boat, Heavy Hitter, Bag Puncher, Fliers, The Pilot, Basketball Player and others. With every Penn auction, there is a great variety of Country Store, Drug Store and Soda Fountain pieces. This auction will be one with another full array of life from the early 1900s Drug Store, with syrup dispensers, ice cream dippers, trays, signs, double tower display cases, gum and candy displays, candy jars, even some rare straw dispensers. Take a look back to when the drug store was a social center and you were encouraged to stay a while. The country store was different. It provided more for the household utilitarian needs than the drug store. Youd find things for home life, especially for the kitchen. Wall and counter coffee grinders were a necessity, and there are many to choose from. Tobacco and spices, match holders, tip trays and pocket mirrors were all sourced in the country store. And the silent salesman worked the country store too. Rare coin-operated machines including slots, trade stimulators and vending all could be found there. All those devices added to the merchants bottom line, one penny or a nickel at a time. Several early tall case Pulver Gum machines, including the ca. 1910 Kola-Pepsin version, will sell. In addition, a rare ca. 1905 White Vending Co. glass domed Buffalo Gum machine will be offered. Even if you drove thousands of miles today, these machines are tough to find in todays marketplace. In those early days, that weekend trip to town for supplies often included a stop at the Barber Shop. Not only could you get a shave and a haircut, you could also catch up on local business and worldly events. In the most fashionable barber shops, unlike posting your business card like today, you planted your occupational shaving mug. That would often clarify which business you were involved in. This auction will provide the opportunity to acquire some rare examples. With nearly 300 to choose from, this could be the largest collection to come to public sale. Some examples to be sold include aircraft, bicycles, bowling, Civil War ships, motorcycles, journalist, speedboats, shoeshine boy, and many more. Maybe the final stop in town would be at the gas station. Those who had an automobile then needed to gas up for the week. Pick up some great advertising pieces from those period gas stations. Porcelain and metal signs were the main media for advertising gasoline then. And those signs are collector favorites today. Youll have some early ones to choose from. You might even drop a nickel or a dime in the Coca-Cola machine for a cold drink on the way home. This auction will offer a massive assortment of the advertising examples that coaxed that change out of your pocket and into their machine. In the early 1900s, Coca-Cola was a master of branded advertising. It was everywhere. And it worked, one nickel or dime at a time. This auction also includes an outstanding selection of furniture and decorative pieces. The early Victorian era pieces include some of the best weve ever taken to market. Names like Thomas Brooks, J. & J.W. Meeks and R. J. Horner Brothers top the list, but there are dozens of other classic pieces too. Theres also carnival glass, Wavecrest, decorated ceramics, stained glass and lighting. Theres also other fun stuff. We were given these Steam Punk motor bikes. Each is handmade from old bicycles and related automotive and mechanical pieces and parts. Then they were retro-fitted with newer motors. You can actually fire them up and go, stated Penn. Looking at the scope of variety and depth, this promises to be quite the auction. As with recent auctions, this event will be held in the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo, Iowa. The adjoining hotel, now a Best Western Plus, will have a number of newly renovated rooms available at a special rate for auction guests. For those who cant make it, Penn offers multiple bidding options, including absentee, telephone and live bidding online through LiveAuctioneers. Find the links to the online catalog on Penns website. Prices realized will be posted online. For more information, call Rich Penn at 319-291-6688 or visit www.RichPennAuctions.com.