SCOTTSDALE 2019 AUTOMOBILIA: Outstanding Collections Light Up the Stage
January 2, 2019
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Written by Chris Summers
Lot #9388 – a 1947 Texaco Oil Service Station Gas Pump with Station Lighter Unit.
This year at its 48th Annual Scottsdale Auction, Barrett-Jackson is set to eclipse its previous Automobilia offerings with more than 1,600 items, all selling at No Reserve and representing a well-rounded selection appealing to every taste and budget. The offering is led by two exclusive collections, representing decades of hunting and gathering by a pair of dedicated, driven and highly successful enthusiasts.
Doug Kotte of Ohio owned one of the largest tire distribution companies in the United States until its successful sale several years ago. Since the 1980s, he has worked to accumulate one of the world’s finest collections of tire- and automotive garage-related memorabilia, including a vast assembly of tin, porcelain and neon signs. Smaller items in the collection were exhibited in beautiful turn-of-the-century wooden showcases acquired from old general stores, which will also be offered. The Doug Kotte Lifetime Collection truly represents one man’s decades of dedication to the history of his profession.
The late Fred Nicodemus was one of the most respected tow company operators on the East Coast, with a fleet of trucks covering the New York metropolitan area. He was a great car enthusiast who built a wonderful collection, which with his typical enthusiasm expanded first into automobilia, then into dealership brochures and advertisements, and finally into vintage transportation-related toys, gas pumps and simply everything related to the automobile. Barrett-Jackson is honored to now be offering the Fred Nicodemus Estate Collection in its entirety, celebrating a true enthusiast’s lifelong passion for all things with wheels.
Today these two collections represent what is believed to be one of the largest-ever single offerings of tire and automotive garage-related collectibles, including over 1,000 tin, porcelain and neon signs. Many of the signs are from the 1920s and 1930s, from companies such as Goodyear, Firestone, Michelin, Grant, Hood, Gillette and others, and featuring outstanding period graphics. There is also a fine assortment of porcelain auto-dealership signs from companies such as Cadillac, Nash, Jaguar, Ford, Chevrolet, Porsche, BMW, Hudson, Studebaker and others; most are in magnificent condition.
Lot #9490 – 1950s Chevrolet “Chevy Boy” Neon Porcelain Dealership Sign.
There will be over 100 vintage automotive garage posters from the first half of the 20th century, largely pertaining to tires and automotive accessories. To find just a handful of these posters is a rare opportunity; to find 100 being sold, all in beautiful condition and professionally framed, is highly uncommon.
Approximately 60 porcelain neon signs will be featured in the sale, representing a category that continue its upward climb in value and popularity. Especially historically significant is Lot #9490, a 1950s Chevrolet “Chevy Boy” single-sided neon porcelain dealership sign, one of just two ever created by General Motors, and presented in near-mint condition with functional articulated neon wheels. Further highlights of the sale include a wonderful 1940s/50s Cadillac “Standard of the World” single-sided porcelain neon sign and an extremely rare 1950s Esso Aviation single-sided porcelain neon, with a restored airport hangar sign. Found at a North Carolina airport, it has been restored to perfection, with animated neon wings that appear to simulate flight.
Lot #8298 – 1930s-40s Husky Oil Service Station Sign.
Additional very scarce, desirable petroliana items include Lot #8295, a highly prized 1930s Penn-Drake Motor Oil double-sided porcelain filling station sign, depicting the first William Penn oil well in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1859. It is in beautiful condition and one of the finest examples known.
Lot #8298 is a gorgeous 1930s-40s Husky Oil Service double-sided filling station sign, considered one of the most desirable of all oil company signs of the period, with amazing color graphics depicting the iconic Husky dog crossing the landscape at sunset. Barrett-Jackson has enjoyed tremendous success with similar signs, selling another Husky porcelain sign of smaller scale for a world-record $150,000 last year at Scottsdale.
A growing market is represented by lighted vintage advertising clocks. Fortunately, the Scottsdale docket includes a superb collection of over 50 original glass-faced lighted and neon clocks dating from the 1930s to the 1960s, and including everything from automotive dealership models to diner clocks promoting iconic soda brands.
Lot #9494 – 1950s Humble Esso Aviation Productions Porcelain Airport Hangar Sign with animated neon.
Barrett-Jackson is world-renowned for its expertise in the consignment and sale of the finest, concours-quality restored vintage gas pumps. This year’s Scottsdale offering will include over 50 fully restored pumps from the early 1920s through the late 1950s, with several models never before been seen at auction, representing the most superb roster in the 17-year history of the Barrett-Jackson Authentic Automobilia Auction.
Notable pieces include an impressively restored lighted 1950s Shell Oil custom service station fuel island featuring two original Bennett Model #956 gas pumps, complete with the iconic clamshell-shaped milk-glass globes, and exceptionally restored. Also noteworthy is a museum-quality 1923 Texaco Oil Rapid Dayton Model #600 visible filling station gas pump, a highly stylized and extremely rare model with embossed base and side panels.
A collection of restored original pedal cars and transportation toys dating from the 1910s through the 1960s, perfectly restored and fully functional diner jukeboxes from Wurlitzer and Seeburg, and soda fountain pieces – including numerous tin and porcelain signs, diner clocks and coin-operated soda machines – as well as go-karts, pedal cars and even a handsomely restored Good Humor vendor’s bicycle round out the selection.
This ensures that even those not involved in collector automobiles can find just the right piece to complete their den, study or rec room within this year’s once-in-a-lifetime offering, expected to eclipse last year’s $3.1 million total sales figure. The excitement begins Sunday, January 13, at 9:00 a.m. on the auction stage, and will continue daily through Sunday, January 20.
For a look at the entire Automobilia docket, click HERE, and check out the video below for a preview of the 2019 Scottsdale Automobilia Auction: