CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. – Nearly 350 lots of petroliana – or gas station collectibles, featuring porcelain and tin signs, globes, lenses, oil cans, pump plates and more – will come up for bid on Saturday, November 25th, in the debut auction of Route 32 Auctions, a new auction firm based in Crawfordsville. The auction will be held online and live at Christy’s of Indiana in Indianapolis.

The online auction will begin at 10 am Eastern time, with a 30-lot uncatalogued live-only auction slated for 9:30 am. For those unable to attend in person, internet bidding will be facilitated by Proxibid.com and Hibid.com. Phone and absente bids will also be taken. All 340 lots in the main auction, plus the lots in the discovery sale, can be previewed Friday, Nov. 24 from noon to 6 pm.

“We here at Route 32 Auctions are excited to begin our adventure in the auction business,” said company founder Kevin Parker, who has several years of experience in the automobilia and petroliana industries. “We’re excited to host our premiere auction on Thanksgiving weekend. There are many exciting pieces for adding to an existing collection or for beginning a new one.”

Mr. Parker described it as a “blue collar auction,” explaining, “There’s nothing super-rare in this sale or anything that’s going to bring six figures, but the quality across the board is quite high. I encourage seasoned veterans of the petroliana collecting scene to browse our catalog and see what catches their eye, and I strongly urge folks thinking about starting a collection to do same.”

The merchandise up for bid represents an eclectic mix, ranging from a Sinclair Gasoline baked, one-piece gas globe that’s new old stock (all-original and from the era but in like-new condition), to a pair of Royal Gasoline 15-inch lenses with super color and mounted on a new, painted body; to an early Sinclair (Opaline) one-gallon empty oil can, meant for race cars, with great graphics.

Porcelain gasoline pump plates, popular with collectors will feature a Mobilgas Aircraft example that displays well and measures 12 inches by 12 ½ inches, with good color and fair gloss; and a Texaco Motor Oil curved porcelain pump plate that boasts superior color and gloss, with a clean field showing only minor flaws around the perimeter. The plate measures 15 inches by 13 inches.

Double-sided porcelain advertising signs are plentiful and will include a very rare Red Crown Ethyl Gasoline sign, the only one known to exist, with good color and gloss and measuring 11 ½ inches by 9 ½ inches; and a Pennzoil Safe Lubrication sign marked “Baltimore Enamel” (at 200 Fifth Avenue, New York), with some chipping but displays well, measuring 41 ½ inches square.

Other double-sided porcelain signs will feature a Marathon Products “Running Man” sign with good color and average gloss, showing the early Marathon colors and logo, measuring 48 inches square; and a Cadillac “Authorized Service” sign marked “Walker & Co.” (Detroit), with some chipping in the fields on both sides but has good colors and gloss and measures 42 inches square.

The category continues with a Mobiloil Marine porcelain curb sign that displays well, with good color and fair gloss, and measures 30 inches square; a Ford “Service Entrance” arrow sign that measures 10 inches by 42 ½ inches and has clean fields both sides; And a Goodyear “No-Rim-Cut Tires” sign that measures 12 inches by 24 inches and has only minor chips in the main field.

Single-sided porcelain signs are also well-represented in the sale. Examples will include a “Gulf Needs Gas” vertical sign (large, at 60 inches by 27 ½ inches), with good color and gloss and all chips in the main field around the perimeter touched up; and a Sunray DX Petroleum Products sign, 27 inches square, that displays well despite some minor discoloration and a factory dimple.

Additional single-sided porcelain signs will include a Lincoln “Ford Fordson Sales & Service” sign with good color and gloss and a few chips around the perimeter, 27 inches by 66 inches; and a Kendall “The 2,000 Mile Oil Change” curved sign, 30 inches by 19 inches, that exhibits nice color and gloss. The sign’s only flaws are a few chips around the mounting holes and perimeter.

Single-sided tin signs aren’t as common as their porcelain counterparts because fewer were made. The sale does have some fine examples, though, to include a Nash & Lafayette horizontal sign with badge graphics, monumental at 48 inches by 95 ¾ inches; and an Oilzum Cylinder Oil horizontal sign that has some flaws but has a great oil can graphic. It’s 10 inches by 28 inches.

Keen bidder interest is anticipated for the Valvoline “Cost Less to Use” horizontal tin sign, rare, mounted in its original wooden frame, with a great oil can graphic, measuring 36 inches by 72 inches. Also sold will be a Cities Service “Koolmotor Oil” tin sign, marked “G-119”, with great graphics, good color and gloss and only a few minor flaws, measuring 28 inches by 58 inches.

Route 32 Auctions is located at 1705 Lebanon Road in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where it has a 20,000-square-foot showroom that’s open Monday thru Friday, from 9-5 Eastern time, as well as Saturday and Sunday (and car clubs) by appointment. There, visitors can purchase petroliana and other items at a fixed price. Crawfordsville is located about 35 miles outside of Indianapolis, Ind.

Christy’s of Indiana, the auction venue, is located at 6851 Madison Avenue in Indianapolis. The firm conducts public auctions every Wednesday morning at 9 am. These “market day” events feature six auction rings, selling various items such as antiques, glassware, art, new and used furniture, tools, jewelry, TVs, electronics, coins, farm and fleet, box lots, store returns and more.

To learn more about Route 32 Auctions and the firm’s inaugural auction scheduled for Saturday, November 25th, please visit www.route32auctions.com. To reach the firm via e-mail, please use info@route32auctions.com. Or, call them at (765) 307-7119. The firm’s next auction after this one will be held on Saturday, April 7th, 2018, and then again in the first or second week of June.

                                                                        #  #  #  #