Motorheads: Get Your Kicks at Morphy’s High-Octane July 11 Automobilia & Petroliana Auction

Featured: Mobil Pegasus porcelain neon sign, Musgo, Aerio 70, Sunset De Luxe and Gilmore ‘Lion’ gas pump globes; service station rarities, plus soda pop signs and vending machines 

DENVER, Pa., July 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Diehard motorheads are revved up about Morphy’s July 11 Automobilia & Petroliana auction. Its 650 lots include advertising signs, rare gas pumps and globes; oil cans, and eye-catching display pieces. In addition, it features the types of colorful soda pop signs and wall clocks that would have adorned roadside diners back when Route 66 was the way westward-bound drivers “got their kicks.”

The star of the show is an outstanding Mobil Pegasus porcelain rotator neon sign sized 72 by 85 inches, and 15½ inches deep. Comprised of two single-sided figural porcelain neon signs, it lights up beautifully around its entire perimeter as on the mythological flying horse’s wings. Everyone knows the Mobil Pegasus, and this ready-to-hang sign shows the popular brand mascot at its finest. Importantly, it is AGS-certified and graded 83/84 (per side). Strong competition and a winning bid of $50,000–$100,000 are expected on auction day.

Ask any petroliana collector which rare sign they would most love to acquire and there’s a high likelihood they would say the circa-1940s Harbor Petroleum Products sign with the appealing seaplane-on-water graphic. Morphy’s is pleased to offer an exceptional example of the single-sided porcelain sign in 8.75 condition. Its unbeatable color palette combines Pacific blue, orange and yellow, with the seaplane image in an oval cartouche as though it were a fine painting. This glossy sign is described in Morphy’s catalog as “exceptional” and “hard to upgrade.” Estimate: $40,000–$80,000

No collection of gas pump globes would be considered complete without a classic Musgo Gasoline “Michigans Mile Maker” globe. A beautiful specimen of this gas-station treasure will be offered on July 11 at Morphy’s. Measuring 16 inches high, the one-piece baked globe is distinguished by its orange, sky blue and red bust-portrait of a Native American chief in profile. It is stamped “September 10th, 1929” and “Made In USA.” AGS-certified and graded 93, it is one of the highest-graded examples of its type ever to be offered for public sale. Estimate: $20,000–$30,000

Other tempting entries include a rare and complete 13.5-inch gas pump globe for Aerio 70 Gasoline in original condition with sides scored 96 and 94, $15,000–$25,000; and a circa-1920s single-sided 15-inch gas pump globe lens for “Gilmore Blu-Green Gasoline” with a highly-detailed six-color graphic of a roaring lion, $12,000–$20,000. According to Morphy’s Automobilia & Petroliana Department Head John Mihovetz, a circa-1930s gas pump globe lens for Sunset De Luxe Gasoline (Los Angeles) has not appeared at a public sale for more than a decade. Morphy’s will end the drought on July 11 with an outstanding example, condition-scored 91 and estimated at $10,000–$20,000.

A flurry of motoring activity is depicted on a 10ft-wide cloth banner that advertises “MICHELIN Tires and Tubes.” Maker-marked “Sweeney Litho, Belleville, New Jersey,” it portrays a mountainside road with bumper-to-bumper auto traffic, high above a cityscape. Along the entire edge width of the sign are 12 Bibendum (Michelin’s mascot) figures, each rolling a tire. AGS-certified “Authentic,” it is estimated at $10,000–$20,000.

The Thursday, July 11, 2024 Automobilia & Petroliana Auction will be held live at Morphy’s gallery, 2000 N. Reading Rd., Denver, PA 17517, starting at 9AM ET. Bid in person, absentee, by phone or live via the Internet through Morphy Live. For enquiries or to reserve a phone line call 877-968-8880, email [email protected]. Online: www.morphyauctions.com.

Media Contact:
Dan Morphy
877-968-8880
[email protected] 

SOURCE Morphy Auctions