"This is the one that every collector has been waiting for," said Morphy Auctions' automobilia and petroliana expert Dan Matthews, describing the Kyle D. Moore collection to be auctioned at Morphy's on Monday, Oct. 5.
"We expect standing room only and very busy phones and Internet. This is a famous and very highly regarded petroliana collection. It's one for the history books," said Matthews.
The Moore collection is, in fact, the most valuable collection ever to pass through Morphy's doors, according to the firm's president and founder, Dan Morphy. "We have no doubt that this collection is worth $15 to 20 million. It's in a class of its own," said Morphy.
Amassed over a 40-year period by Moore, a cable TV entrepreneur who died in March of 2014, the collection now belongs to an Oklahoma businessman who bought it as an investment in 2006. Rather than moving it, the new owner chose to leave the collection in situ at Moore's spacious residence, even paying Moore rent for storage and stewardship.
The collection is so vast and of such immense value that Morphy's has opted to disperse it in a series of four or five auctions, starting with the Oct. 5 opener. "Each and every session will contain some unbelievable gems. I haven't seen such a level of excitement in all my years in the hobby," said Matthews, who evaluated and described the contents for the auction catalog.
The first session’s offering contains a number of items expected to finish in five-figure territory, starting with advertising signs.
A Kelly Tires "Lotta Miles" porcelain sign with the image of a woman driver in fashionable 1920s attire is estimated at $50,000-$80,000, while a super-rare Red Hat Motor Oil/Gasoline double-sided porcelain sign is expected to make $25,000-$35,000. An elusive Harbor Petroleum Products double-sided porcelain die-cut sign with an appealing image of a seaplane surging through ocean waves with a lighthouse in the background is expected to land at $35,000-$50,000.
In addition to 2,000 petroleum-related advertising signs, the collection includes 150 early gas pumps. A rare double-clockface Eco-meter pump, professionally restored and in beautiful condition, could reach $20,000-$40,000 at auction. A Raymond “4 in 1 Justice" five-gallon gas pump is unusual in that the cylinder is housed inside a glass box. Professionally restored, it is cataloged with a $15,000-$20,000 estimate.
Of the 900 gas globes in the Moore collection, one of the best is a brilliantly colorful example with an Indian chief logo that advertises Musgo Gasoline, "Michigan's Mile Maker." The image was entirely hand-painted, so no two globes of its type were created exactly the same. The example from the Moore collection is estimated at $15,000-$25,000.
Entered with a $10,000-$20,000 estimate, a Brunoil gas globe is emblazoned with a fantastic image of a brown bear on an ice floe, with glaciers and a green sea in the background. Its estimate is $10,000-$20,000.
"We're proud and honored that we were chosen to auction the Kyle D. Moore collection, which is widely acknowledged as the greatest of its type," said Morphy. "There's already tremendous excitement about this collection. We can tell by the number of phone calls and emails we've been receiving that this auction is going to be an event collectors will be talking about for many, many years to come."
The Kyle D. Moore petroliana and automobilia collection will make its auction debut in the Oct. 5 session at Morphy's gallery in Denver (Lancaster County), Pa. The start time will be 9 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. The preview will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week, as well as from 8 to 9 a.m. on auction day. No appointment is necessary. Morphy Auctions is located at 2000 N. Reading Road, Denver, Pa.
Important additional information: Seating is expected to be limited for the auction, and a deposit will be required in order to reserve a seat. The deposit will be applied toward any purchases made at the auction. If no bids are successful or the entire deposit is not applied, the deposit, or any remainder thereof, will be refunded within 30 days. Reserve a seat by calling 717-335-4578.
All forms of bidding will be available, including phone, absentee and live online through Morphy Live.
For more information on any item in the sale, call 717-335-3435 or visit www.morphyauctions.com.
Images courtesy of Morphy Auctions.