A bright red 1963 Chevrolet Corvette coupe with the rare and highly desirable split rear window roared off for $129,800 in an online-only Automobiles, Advertising & Toys auction held December 3rd by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. The runner-up lot was a 1940s double-sided porcelain Chrysler Plymouth Fargo dealer sign that made $29,500.

Prices quoted are in Canadian dollars and include an 18 percent buyer’s premium.

All 241 lots in the sale were from the lifetime collection of the late Gary Archer, a collector who aggressively sought out gas pumps, petroliana advertising, automobilia, soda signs and old toys. “The family reflected on what Gary paid for certain pieces. It was like winning the lottery,” said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. “Overall the auction was seen as a great success.”

Mr. Miller said that as the market for petroliana (gas station collectibles) matures, buyers are becoming increasingly more sophisticated. “The results in this auction showed that rarity and condition are trending as the most important predictors of price,” Miller observed. “While the top 20 percent crushed our highest expectations, the more common material was flatlined at best.”

Auto buffs are familiar with the '63 ‘split-window’ as one of the most rare and coveted Corvettes out there. Mr. Archer imported his from the U.S. in 1983 and stored it away as an investment in a dry, heated garage. Prior to that, the car received a cosmetic restoration that included a color change to red and many interior upgrades. The car more than doubled its $60,000 high estimate.

The Chrysler Plymouth Fargo dealer sign was produced for the Canadian market and measured 44 ½ inches by 41 ½ inches. The sign blasted through its pre-sale estimate of $4,000-$6,000. Following are additional highlights from the auction, which grossed $478,018 and attracted 382 registered users, who placed a combined 6,478 bids. One hundred percent of the lots were sold. Internet bidding was facilitated by both LiveAuctioneers.com and the Miller & Miller website.

Two signs posted identical selling prices of $12,390. One was a Chevrolet “Super Service” dealer neon sign, made in America in the 1940s. The single-sided porcelain sign measured an impressive 42 inches by 49 inches. The other was a Red Indian (“Gasoline / Motor Oils”) 5-foot single-sided porcelain sign (Canadian, 1930s), marked “The W. F. Vilas Co. Limited, Cowansville, P.Q.” Both signs finished at way above their estimates.

A Supertest (“Canada’s All-Canadian Company”) 1940s double-sided porcelain service station sign, round, 5 feet in diameter and in the original ring, marked “P & M Orillia”, sold within estimate for $10,030. Also, a larger Supertest double-sided porcelain sign, also round, 6 feet in diameter and made in the 1950s, in the original aluminum ring with hangers, with only minor porcelain loss, brought $5,900, which was also within estimate.

A Canadian 1950s Gulf Service Station double-sided porcelain sign in the original aluminum ring, 68 inches by 74 inches, fetched $7,670; a Canadian 1920s Gray-Dort Automobile dealer sign, single-sided tin and embossed, 11 ¾ inches by 35 ½ inches, also brought $7,670; and a Canadian 1960s GMC Trucks double-sided vacuum formed plastic illuminated sign, very rare, tagged “TEK Plastics Ltd., Rexdale, Ontario”, made $7,080.

A round White Rose double-sided porcelain service station sign with very good color and gloss (Canadian, 1940s), in a steel frame, 48 inches in diameter, settled at $6,490, which bested the $3,500 high estimate. Also, a rare 1940s Indian Motorcycle prismatic sign, made in the U.S. (“Genuine Indian Accessories / The Complete Quality Line”), celluloid over embossed tin backed with cardboard, 11 ¾ inches by 6 ¾ inches, reached $5,900.

A Canadian 1950s Fina Service Station double-sided porcelain sign, impressive at 72 ½ inches by 68 ½ inches, marked “P&M Orillia” on the lower edge, both sides exhibiting scattered chips, changed hands for $6,490. One of the sleepers of the auction was an American 1950s Bee Line Wheel Alignment single-sided tin sign, embossed, marked “Stout Sign Co., St. Louis, Mo.” The sign sold for $5,310 against a $400-$600 estimate.

Two very different lots realized identical selling prices of $5,015: the Canadian 1940s boxed pressed steel Minnitoy Pepsi truck (“Enjoy “Pepsi-Cola”), the box marked “Made by Otaco Limited, Orillia, Ont.”, new old stock in the original box; and the Canadian 1957 double-sided porcelain Texaco Service Station sign in the original metal ring, 5 feet in diameter, retaining the original mounting chain attached from the sign’s lower bracket.

Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., has two major auctions planned for the first quarter of next year. They include an Advertising & Historic Objects auction on Saturday, January 21st; 2023; and a Canadiana & Folk Art auction on Saturday, February 11th. Both auctions will be online-only.

To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the firm’s upcoming sales, please visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.

About Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.:
Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. is Canada’s trusted seller of high-value collections and is always accepting quality consignments. The firm specializes in watches and jewelry, art, antiques and high-value collectibles. Its mission is to provide collectors with a trusted place to buy and sell. To consign a single piece, an estate or a collection, you may call them at (519) 573-3710; or, you can e-mail them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., please visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.

New Hamburg, ON, Canada, November 30, 2022 -- Rolex ruled the roost in Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.’s online-only Luxury Watches sale, as 14 of the top 20 finishing lots were made by the renowned Swiss watchmaker. The top earner was a Rolex Ref. 116515 Cosmograph Daytona, a model first introduced in 1963 to meet the demands of race car drivers. It sold within estimate for $54,870.

All prices quoted are in Canadian dollars and include an 18 percent buyer’s premium.

The Cosmograph Daytona featured a black monobloc Cerachrom bezel in ceramic with an engraved tachymeter scale, and an 18kt Everose gold case. It was powered by calibre 4130, a self-winding mechanical chronograph movement developed and made by Rolex. The chocolate dial with black Arabic numbers accented the gold case and alligator strap.

It was a tidy sale, with just 78 curated timepieces coming up for bid, but it featured luxury makers such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, Omega, Heuer, Cartier, Hublot, Tiffany & Company and IWC, among others. Just under 200 registered bidders placed a combined online total of 2,685 bids, and by the time it was all over the auction had grossed a robust $418,959.

“The market for quality luxury watches has remained strong, with major brands holding their ground while demand for many assets has fallen,” said Justin Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. “Four contemporary Rolex Daytonas in the sale sold for way more than one would pay for a brand-new example from an authorized Rolex dealer, should they be so lucky to acquire one.”

Miller added, “For vintage watches, the highest demand remains for examples that are untouched and fresh-to-the-market. These watches are usually consigned by either the original owner or a relative of the original owner. A good example was Lot #53, which came to us with a letter of provenance from the second owner linking it to the 1972 Olympic Games. It sold for $14,160.”

He was referring to the circa 1971 Rolex Ref. 5513 Submariner with a stainless-steel case on a stainless-steel oyster band. The caseback was engraved with the name of the current owner. This Submariner was originally awarded as a prize for qualifying as the Canadian sailing participant in the 1972 Olympic games. The trials were held in Kingston, Ontario.

Following are additional highlights from the auction, in which 80 percent of lots were sold. Online bidding was via by LiveAuctioneers.com and MillerandMillerAuctions.com.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, regardless of year, movement or reference, is one of the most desirable watches in existence. There were several other examples in the auction. They included:

- Ref. 116520, circa 2008-2009, in a stainless-steel 40mm case, box and papers included ($32,450).

- Ref. 116523, circa 2002, an exceptionally well cared for example offered from the original owner, complete with box and papers and the receipt from a 2019 service by the original retailer, Ashley Jewellers, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada ($24,780).

- Ref. 116520, circa 2009, has a stainless-steel case on a stainless-steel oyster band, complete with box and papers ($26,550).

The Rolex Day-Date “President” wristwatch is another classic that was represented more than once in the auction. The model made its debut in 1956 and was the first wristwatch to display the date and day of the week spelled out in full in a window on the dial. The elegant design and precious metals conspired to make the Day-Date a most desirable wristwatch among celebrities.

Two Day-Date “Presidents” in the auction included Ref. 18038, circa 1988, with an 18kt yellow gold case and bracelet and champagne diamond dial, in excellent condition, serviced by Rolex in August 2002 ($23,600); and Ref. 18238, with 18kt yellow gold case on an 18kt yellow gold President band. A recent service included new crystal, crown, crown tube and gaskets ($14,160).

Rolexes were plentiful on auction day, but so were watches by other famous makers, such as:

- De Grisogono, Grande ladies’ watch, Swiss, circa 2001, with an 18kt rose gold case and pink sapphires ($20,060). The Grande has a gently curved silhouette. It was designed with proportions and balance of size and volume, making it very comfortable in wear.

- Tag Heuer, Ref. 2446C Autavia GMT, Swiss, 1972, with a stainless-steel case on a leather strap and a Mark 4 dial ($11,800). This model had steel hands with red accents, red chronograph hand and stepped sub-dials. The color still popped on the Pepsi bezel.

Returning to Rolexes, a circa 1972 Ref. 1675 GMT-Master watch featuring the original black aluminum GMT bezel, and original matte black dial, the case and bracelet in impeccable shape, brought $20,060. The original GMT-Master, designed in 1954, was a collaboration with Pan Am Airways. It was issued to their crews on long-haul flights and was later embraced by other pilots.

A circa 2001 Rolex 2016 Ref. 80319 Datejust Pearlmaster with an 18kt rose gold case and factory diamond dial and bezel, the smooth lines of the case and bracelet creating a feminine interpretation of the Datejust, reached $11,505. Also, A circa 2005 Rolex Ref. 116203 “Tuxedo” Datejust wristwatch with a two-tone, 18kt yellow gold and stainless-steel case and oyster band, black and white “tuxedo” dial and black and red “roulette” date wheel, topped out at $10,030.

A circa 1991 Rolex Ref, 16613 Rolex Submariner wristwatch having a stainless-steel case with an 18kt yellow gold bezel and crown and a stainless-steel oyster band went for $12,980. Also, a circa 1976 Rolex Ref. 1680 Submariner wristwatch with a stainless-steel case on a stainless-steel oyster band, the clasp date stamped “A” for 1976, weighing a total of 101 grams, made $11,210. Included was the invoice from a March 2020 service by Humberton Jewellers in Toronto, Ont.

Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., has three major auctions planned for the rest of this year and early next year. They include an Automobiles, Advertising & Toys auction (featuring The Gary Archer Collection) on Saturday, December 3rd; an Advertising & Historic Objects auction on Saturday, January 21st; 2023; and a Canadiana & Folk Art auction on Saturday, February 11th.

To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the firm’s upcoming auctions, please visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com

A special presentation copy of the book Tenth Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China signed by Mao Zedong, an autograph letter signed by Thomas Jefferson from Monticello in which he mentions Napoleon Bonaparte, and a Mathew Brady carte de visite of George A. Custer, boldly signed by the ill-fated commander, are a few of the expected highlights in University Archives’ online auction slated for Wednesday, December 14th at 11 am Eastern time.

The Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books auction features historical material from multiple collecting categories. All 383 lots are up for viewing and bidding now (on the University Archives website: www.UniversityArchives.com), plus LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com. Phone and absentee bids will be taken, but there’s no live gallery bidding.

“Our December sale is especially strong in U.S. Presidential, Science/Space, Militaria, Early American, and International/World Leaders,” said John Reznikoff, the president and owner of University Archives. “The sheer variety and scope, from Civil Rights and Judaica to literature, art and music, guarantees that there is something for everyone, especially holiday gift-givers.”

Mr. Reznikoff added, “If buyers pay with cleared funds by December 16th, their items will be shipped by December 21st and will hopefully arrive by Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa.”

Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong signed a special presentation copy of a Russian book celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China in October 1959, dedicated to Soviet Civil War hero Marshal Semyon Budenny. Mao autographs are extremely rare and intensely coveted by collectors. This book carries an estimate of $80,000-$100,000.

The two-page Jefferson autograph letter signed and dated October 11, 1812 describes how Napoleon’s “capricious passions and commercial ignorance” threatened American access to some European ports, but that America’s enemies, Britain and France, were fighting each other, and so, “the English armies…although our enemies, are really fighting our battles.” (est. $35,000-$45,000).

The Mathew Brady sepia-colored albumen carte de visite depicting George A. Custer, undated but circa 1865-1866, is one of the best combinations of bold signature and assertive pose that University Archives has ever offered. It’s PSA/DNA slabbed and graded Mint 9 and should finish at $20,000-$30,000. The photo is signed verso, “Sincerely your / friend / GA Custer / B Maj Genl / USA.”

Benjamin Franklin was a young, 27-year-old printer when he witnessed a Philadelphia real estate transaction dated May 15, 1733. The result is one of the earliest known Franklin signatures ever documented, and is singularly elegant, as “B. Franklin” (est. $12,000-$15,000). Franklin had just published his inaugural edition of the iconic Poor Richard’s Almanack just six months earlier.

Abraham Lincoln signed a July 26, 1862 letter on Executive Mansion stationery for an autograph seeker in the Union stronghold of Louisville, Kentucky. The letter is beautifully matted to a completed size of 23 ¼ inches by 13 inches alongside an unusual 1864 Vinton County, Ohio Union presidential ticket promoting Lincoln and Johnson. The lot should bring $10,000-$15,000.

George Washington boldly signed a free frank addressed to Benjamin Tallmadge, Culper Ring spymaster. The free frank is undated, but originally contained a Dec. 26, 1782 letter commending the “signal gallantry of Capt. Caleb Brewster,” referring to Caleb Brewster, one of the underground’s principal couriers, who often undertook covert missions in his whaleboat on Long Island Sound (est. $12,000-$14,000).

There are four letters written by Albert Einstein in the auction, including a two-page letter, in German, responding to a request to visit the German Society at Oxford University, addressed to Society secretary Esther Sacher Einstein talks about his ill health and says, “I am happy to see that a Jew is always ‘en famille’ wherever his steps land him on this earth.” (est. $5,000-$6,000).

A 120-page daily sales record book (or ledger) of Livingston, Kinkead & Co., the storekeeper at Camp Scott (established by the U.S. Army expedition to Utah) and the rebuilt Fort Bridger (located nearby), for the years 1857 and 1858, during the Mormon War period, should command $10,000-$12,000. The ledger documents colorful frontier life, and also mentions future Confederate officers Lewis A. Armstead, killed in action at Gettysburg; Barnard Bee, Jr., slain at First Bull Run; and “Rooney” Lee, Robert E. Lee’s son, among many others.

Apollo XI mission memorabilia dominates the sale’s Space/Aviation category. One lot certain to draw attention is the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center Stamp Club insurance cover (“First Manned Lunar Expedition”), signed by all three of the Apollo XI crew members: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. It’s PSA/DNA slabbed and graded Mint +9.5 and comes from the Buzz Aldrin Family Space Collection. (est. $8,000-$10,000).

Seventeen pages of notes, handwritten by the African American leader and educator Booker T. Washington – likely either speaking points for speeches or points to stress in reports – have an estimate of $8,000-$9,000. A few of the notes can be tied to specific speeches that Washington gave in the mid-1890s. A previous consigner purchased this manuscript for $12,500 in 1999.

A one-page document, in Hungarian, functioning as a Schutz-Pass (protective passport), issued by the Royal Swedish Legation in Budapest, Hungary on September 22, 1944, boldly signed by Secretary of the Royal Swedish Legation Raoul Wallenberg, in a rare full signature lower left, issued to Zsuzsanna Steiner, partly printed / partly typed, should reach $7,000-$8,000.

Sigmund Freud and his protégé Carl Jung appear in a vintage group photo taken of members of the Third International Psychoanalytic Congress, circa 1911, in Weimar, Germany. The friendship-ending ideological schism between the two co-founders of modern psychology occurred the following year, in 1912, making this probably the most important photograph in Psychology. It has an estimate of $6,000-$7,000.

The two co-founders of modern psychology’s ideological schism occurred the following year, in 1912. This is probably the most important photograph in Psychology. It has an estimate of $6,000-$7,000.

For more information about University Archives and the Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books auction on Wednesday, December 14th at 11 am Eastern time, visit www.universityarchives.com.

A GOLD Coast art exhibition opening on November 17 supports the Women, Life, Freedom movement, which began after the brutal police killing of a young girl in Iran for wearing a loose hijab.

After the tragic death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, who died on September 16 after she was detained and beaten by police in Tehran for ‘inappropriate attire’, thousands of women and men have been chanting Women, Life, Freedom in Iranian streets ever since. 

Gold Coast Multicultural Arts (GC MAGIC) director Nasrin Vaziri said the art exhibition, Pomegranates Connection, at Robina art gallery from November 17 to 28 featured some protest art, which sees people raise their voices through arts including design, painting  and performances.

“Protest arts is a platform that creative talents use to share their opinions on social, gender and other issues and involve the public to understand the issues,” Mrs Vaziri said. 

“An example is the Iranian women’s movement, Women, Life, Freedom, when artists create epic artworks to send their messages to the world beyond the verbal language.”

The Pomegranates Connection project includes an invitation only Voices of Women event, featuring music by four performing artists and video journey by documentary filmmaker Jeff Licence of eight Queensland migrant artists at Parliament House in Brisbane on November 16.

The Pomegranates Connection art exhibition includes artwork by seven women and one man from Afghanistan, Uruguay, Israel, Iran and Mongolia.

“Art is not limited to just decorations,” Mrs Vaziri said.

“Our passion is about arts, women and social issues. It is not limited to any specific nation or region. Through the universal language of arts, we can increase our understanding and connection with each other, which in turn will foster more unity, peace and social harmony worldwide.

“I’m really amazed and impressed by how arts in general - graphic arts, paintings, singing - can help cheer up people to raise their voices, speak up for themselves and involve other nations and what they believe in to the rest of the world.”

This project has been supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.

The Pomegranates Connection art exhibition will be launched at Robina Art Gallery on November 17 from 5-7pm. Entry is free and includes live music and refreshments. 

The gallery is open from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday and from 9am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday. For more details, call Nasrin on 0434 932 537 or visit the Facebook page Gold Coast Multicultural Arts.