Press Release

New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada, May 1, 2024 -- Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. will spring into May with three online-only auctions totaling more than 1,100 diverse and highly collectible lots. These will include a Toys & Historic Ephemera auction featuring Part 2 of the late Howie Meyer Legacy collection on Friday, May 10th; a Toys, Advertising & Coin-Op auction on Saturday, May 11th; and a Petroliana & Advertising auction featuring the late Syl Rumas collection on May 12th.

Bidders please take note: the May 10th sale is different from Miller & Miller’s normal process.
It is an online-only sale with no live webcast portion. All lots are open for bidding now and will automatically close in sequential order starting at 5pm Eastern time on Friday, May 10th.

Taking the auctions in order, May 10th contains 340 lots of toys and militaria, with Howie Meyer the undisputed headliner. “If one word describes Howie Meyer and his toy collecting, that word would be ‘fun’, said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. “His interests ranged from the mid-to-late 20th century and he had a great collection of pressed steel and tinplate toys.”

Condition was a foremost factor for anything Mr. Meyer collected. Themes include Disney and comic characters, ice cream, construction, space, Western and Americana. His interests also included World War and anti-Axis propaganda posters and ephemera, figural sewing tapes and other oddities. Whatever Howie collected, it had pizzazz and distinction,” Mr. Miller remarked.

Lot 198 is a complete, new in box Shell oil tanker truck from Smith-Miller (aka Smitty Toys), made in America in the 1980s. The die-cast steel truck, 35 inches in length and number 209 of just 250 produced, includes the original foam-lined shipping container. These high-quality trucks were crafted by Fred Thompson, who resumed ownership of the firm in 1979 (est. $600-$900).

All estimates quoted in this report are in Canadian dollars.

Lot 211 is an interesting collection of Tijuana Bibles and erotic ephemera from the 1920s to the 1940s. Subjects include popular comic strip characters and movie stars of the period. Most are 3 inches by 4 inches, while the largest is 8 ½ inches by 5 ¾ inches. Other erotic ephemera includes booklets and postcards. The collection, in overall good condition, should command $600-$900.

The May 11th Toys, Advertising & Coin-Op auction will feature 390 lots of advertising signs, soda advertising, toys, automobilia, petroliana, breweriana, pinball machines and coin-op machines. Included are the lifetime collections of the late Robert Spittel, the late John (Don) Ferguson and the late John D. Anderson. “It’s a fresh-to-the-market jolt of nostalgia, ranging from coin-op and pinballs to advertising, toys and historical finger food,” Mr. Miller said.

Lot 622 is a Genco Motorama coin-op driving game, made around 1957 by Genco Corp., a U.S.-based company that released approximately 238 machines under the Genco name. The machine, with dimensions of 59 inches by 44 inches by 28 inches, is in good condition, with the original playfield showing some fading. It’s marked “Genco” and carries an estimate of $9,000-$12,000.

Lot 684 is an early and exquisite John H.R. Molson and brothers single-sided porcelain Montreal India Pale Ale corner sign (Canadian, 20th century), 24 inches by 16 ½ inches. “IPA” is scripted beneath the profusely illustrated crown and anchor logo that’s central to the sign. The sign is in very good condition, with good color and gloss and outstanding graphics (est. $9,000-$12,000).

To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the May 10th-12th auctions, please visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.

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