Walworth, Wis. – June 30, 2023 – Mecum Auctions, host of The World’s Largest Collector Car Auction® and the world’s largest motorcycle auction, recently added The World’s Largest Road Art® Auction to its impressive list of annual events, bringing the auction house’s total to three such annual world-record-sized auctions. The automotive memorabilia-focused auction was held June 20-25 at Mecum’s company headquarters in Walworth, Wisconsin, and featured nearly 4,000 lots of neon, tin and wooden signs, gas pumps and globes, pedal cars, posters and more on offer. The first-annual event was deemed a success as 92% of all lots hammered sold for a total of $10.9 million in overall sales for the six-day event.
The Road Art auction joins Mecum’s list of other annual record-sized events, including The World’s Largest Collector Car Auction® held in Kissimmee, Florida, and the world’s largest vintage and antique motorcycle auction held each January in Las Vegas. With its return slated for June of 2024, the Road Art auction invites collectors from around the world to make the trip out to the beautiful Wisconsin lake country and enjoy the camaraderie that the beloved hobby creates.
Top sales at this year’s event included one of the most desirable collectible Road Art signs from all of history and a true cornerstone of any serious collection: a Kelly Tires porcelain sign featuring back-to-back examples in an original ring (Lot S101), one of the only of its kind still extant today. The rare and desirable sign sold for a healthy $265,500. Vintage porcelain signs proved popular overall, with another sans-neon example—a one-of-a-kind Texlite single-sided sign (Lot S115)—selling for $59,000.
Large-scale neon signs were another popular category at the auction, with eight of the top 12 sales spots claimed by coveted examples of vivid vintage voltage, including a Star Lanes single-sided animated neon sign (Lot S144) that became the auction’s second-highest seller bringing $247,800.
Gas pump globes continue to climb the categorical popularity ranks, and the selection presented at the Walworth 2023 Road Art auction was undoubtedly one of the best such assemblages in the world, highlighted by the 200-plus authentic and high-quality globes of The Jeff Spanier Gas and Oil Collection. A 1930s-era Texaco Fire-Chief Hat-shaped globe (Lot F189) that is the only known example of its kind sold for $82,600, while a 1929 Musgo one-piece glass globe (Lot S188) brought $47,200, and more than a dozen others also achieved five-figure sales.
The top sales at the 2023 World’s Largest Road Art® Auction include:
- Kelly Tires Two Single-Sided Porcelain Signs in Original Ring (Lot S101) at $265,500
- Star Lanes Single-Sided Animated Neon Sign (Lot S144) at $247,800
- 1940s John Deere Caterpillar Double-Sided Porcelain Neon Sign (Lot F455) at $177,000
- Pegasus Double-Sided Rotating Porcelain Neon Sign (Lot F102) at $118,000
- 1930s Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Double-Sided Porcelain Neon Sign (Lot F115) at $82,600
- 1930s Texaco Fire-Chief Hat Gas Pump Globe (Lot F189) at $82,600
- 1950s Sam’s Auto Parts Single-Sided Porcelain Animated Neon Sign (Lot S122) at $64,900
- 1940s Rocco and Cheater’s Speed Shop Double-Sided Tin Neon Sign (Lot F341) at $61,360
- Dodge Plymouth Double-Sided Porcelain Neon Dealership Sign (Lot F85) at $59,000
- Mobil Pegasus Double-Sided Porcelain Neon Rotator Sign (Lot S114) at $59,000
- Texlite Porcelain Enamel Division Single-Sided Porcelain Sign (Lot S115) at $59,000
- Miller Special “Lil’ Miller” Car (Lot S400) at $59,000
For access to complete auction results, sign up for a free MyMecum account at Mecum.com. Next up for Mecum is the Summer Special auction featuring 1,500 classic and collector vehicles in Kissimmee, Florida, July 6-9. For more details on upcoming auctions, to consign a vehicle or to register as a bidder, visit Mecum.com, or call (262) 275-5050 for more information.
Source: Mecum Hosts World’s Largest Road Art® Auction, Achieves $10.9 Million in Sales | Newspress USA
