Rare Gas Pump, Early McCormick Poster and Canadian Advertising Collectibles Head to Miller & Miller Auction

A restored 1930s gas pump, an early McCormick agricultural advertising poster and a group of scarce Canadian advertising pieces are among nearly 400 collectibles heading to auction September 6 through Miller & Miller Auctions.

The Petroliana, Soda & General Store Advertising sale will contain 393 lots spread across two sessions. The first begins at 9 AM EDT with 256 lots and a live webcast, followed by a second 137-lot online-only session beginning at 6 PM EDT.

Expected to lead the auction is an Erie Cash Recorder Model 53 gas pump dating to around 1934-1935. The American-made pump has been professionally restored in Polly Gas colors and converted into a double-sided example while retaining its original castings. According to the auction announcement, the distinctive globe was specifically designed for the cash recorder pump, making even reproduction examples uncommon.

Standing 94.75 inches tall, the pump retains a reproduction globe and lenses, although the pump and clock mechanisms are not included. It carries a pre-auction estimate of CA$9,000 to CA$12,000.

Another major piece is a pre-1902 McCormick Harvesting Machinery chromolithograph advertising poster known as “The Ship of Progress.” The large-format poster depicts mechanization as a force behind national advancement, with its central ship image surrounded by scenes of horse-drawn agricultural machinery working across the countryside.

Originally intended for display at sales locations, the poster includes an area along the bottom where a dealer could add its store name. Marked “Ketterlinus Phila, N.Y. & Chicago,” the approximately 40-by-30-inch image retains strong color despite some toning, stains, creases and edge wear. It is estimated at CA$6,500 to CA$9,000.

Collectors of early automotive advertising will also find a scarce Canadian Ford Genuine Parts double-sided porcelain sign dating from 1920 to 1930. Miller & Miller notes that Canadian porcelain signs from the period are significantly harder to find than comparable American examples. The 18-by-27.75-inch sign has been graded 8.5 on one side and 8.25 on the other and authenticated by The Authentication Company. Its estimate is CA$3,500 to CA$5,000.

The auction also contains several notable pieces of Canadian tobacco advertising. A circa-1920 Torpedo Short Cut Tobacco pocket tin made by Rock City Tobacco Co. Limited of Quebec features the rare destroyer-ship variation of the Torpedo design. The flip-lid tin retains strong nautical graphics and part of its tax stamp and is expected to bring CA$3,500 to CA$5,000.

A Taxi Crimp Cut Tobacco pocket tin dating to approximately 1910-1920 is another highlight. Produced by the Imperial Tobacco Company of Canada, the tin depicts two well-dressed men considering a taxicab while a chauffeur waits behind the wheel. The artwork appears on both sides, and the tin carries a CA$3,000 to CA$4,000 estimate.

Petroliana collectors will have another sizable display piece in a Canadian Texaco service station sign from 1946-1959. Measuring six feet across, the double-sided porcelain sign is marked “P&M Orillia,” has been graded 9.0 and 8.75, and has been authenticated by TAC. Miller & Miller estimates it at CA$3,000 to CA$3,500.

Vintage Coca-Cola advertising is represented by a five-piece “Women in Uniform” military point-of-sale set from 1942-1945. The campaign depicts women serving in the Army Nurse Corps, Women’s Army Corps, U.S. Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, Navy Nurse Corps and WAVES, with each woman shown in uniform holding a Coca-Cola bottle. The professionally framed display measures 23.25 by 48.5 inches and is estimated at CA$3,000 to CA$3,500.

The evening session includes additional soda advertising, including a 1943-1946 Coca-Cola “Silhouette Girl” two-piece tin door pull estimated at CA$1,400 to CA$1,600. A Canadian Canada Dry “Take Home a Carton” door sign from 1940-1948, featuring a Canadian map incorporated into the bottle artwork, is estimated at CA$900 to CA$1,200. Both pieces have been authenticated by TAC.

Miller & Miller Auctions owner Ethan Miller described the sale as an opportunity for collectors to acquire rare, high-grade advertising pieces, with material spanning petroliana, soda advertising, tobacco collectibles and general store memorabilia.