By SUSAN MELLISH
AntiqueWeek Correspondent PEOTONE, Ill. — Automotive swap meets draw a tenacious group of collectors. This area of collecting can include everything from colorful advertising to grimy engine parts. Carroll Hook of Portsmouth, Ohio, has been a collector-dealer for many years and could often be found digging through boxes at automotive swap meets looking for that elusive “must-have” for his collection. Hook’s collection of Chevrolet memorabilia and promo cars came up for auction on March 29 during an event run by Matthews Auctions.
“Petroliania has not really been affected by the economy. The lower-end stuff maybe has fallen off some, but the great items continue to appeal to collectors,” said Dan Matthews of Matthews Auctions.
While the vintage oil and gas signs and displays attracted attention, the promo cars offered had their own fan base. “Promo cars are small cars that were given to new car buyers,” Matthews said. “When you bought a new car, the gimmick was to give the new owner a miniature replica of their new vehicle.”
More than 160 lots of promo cars sold, with the hard-to-find examples bringing strong prices. A 1950 Chevrolet two-door convertible, slush mold bank promo car made by Ban, Inc. sold for $230 despite missing its front axle.
A bright red plastic 1963 Chevrolet Corvette split-window coupe by AMT rated a 9 in very good condition came in at $300, while a red 1953 Chevrolet two-door convertible, plastic promo car bank made by Product Miniature with this car rating a 9.5 being in excellent condition realized $170. The average price for the promo cars ran about $100.
Automotive advertising for General Motors products were also in demand. A rare, Oldsmobile Rocket lighted die-cut sign measuring 16 by 74-inch made $450, while an “Action, Super Rocket” display measuring 80 by 36-inch sold for $925. A Chevrolet die-cut folding showroom display of a man dressed in top hat and tails holding cane pointing to a “Chevrolet” sign with the wording “Come See the ’53 Chevrolet. It’s Sensational,” made $400.
The top selling lot from the Hook’s collection was the Chevrolet “Eye It – Try It – Buy It” lighted 22-inch clock (made by Telechron) which brought $3,200. Rated 8.75, the clock’s glass panel was in great condition. The clock also sported a metal ring at the top stating the dealership name where it once resided – “Myers Chevrolet Co. Newport, Tenn.”
Other clocks were also in demand as a wonderful Chevrolet “Out on time” self-framed sign with a small clock at its center sold for $1,500. Measuring 24 by 22-inch, both the clock and its light were in working condition. A Rebuilder’s Inc. “Motor Transmission” 30-inch neon clock rated a 9 and in perfect running condition made $550.
As would be assumed, if a piece of advertising would light up or had working parts, it brought high bids. A 1938 wooden die-cut Chevrolet window sign with neon tubing sold for $700. Measuring 6 by 15-inch, this rare sign is small in size as it was placed in the back window of cars as they sat on the showroom floor. A Mobil metal cabinet sporting a gargoyle light-up globe and a gargoyle chart sign brought $1,000
Matthews said the sale went very well. “Hook was a collector/dealer, so some of the better pieces from the collection had already found new homes before he decided to consign the rest of the collection, but there were still some pretty good pieces that sold.” Matthews reported 125 bidders had signed up to bid live online, with more than 100 buyers being in attendance the day of the sale.
On May 2-3 Matthews Auctions will be selling of the Don Fielder motorcycle, toy and petroliana collection. |
