Nothing lasts forever. A favorite movie line of mine from the original 1972 Charles Bronson film The Mechanic. Nothing lasts forever. It’s a favorite line of mine because, in the film, there is symbolism behind the words, a sinister undertone that indicates that Charles Bronson’s character is facing a short time on this earth. But, nothing lasts forever is also an omni truism. Because, outside of a few things on this earth that are proving to defy time, few things last forever. Collections fall into this category.
We collect and bring pieces together to form a collection and then, one day, for whatever reason, it needs to be dispersed, broken up, sold off to – other collectors who bolster their own collections with pieces from a collection that once was. It’s a fluidity that provides for eternity. Okay, that’s overkill, but you see how this fluidity, this movement of pieces provides a kind of continuity for collectibles? I know – I’m getting weird in my old age, but Mecum Auction Company is highlighting some astonishing collections coming to market through their On Time and Road Art divisions, and it made me think, here we go again, from one collector to many others. Time to partake in the continuity as these collectors spread around the pieces that make up their collections. See some of it below.
While temperatures may be cooling as winter draws near, things are really heating up in the Mecum world as the auction company’s Road Art® and On Time® divisions are teaming up to offer three private collections. Each group of items will be split between the Kissimmee 2025 live auction this January and the Mecum On Time timed online platform, with the online selections launching this month. Of note, all three of these major collections featured below will have select pieces from their On Time auctions on display in the designated On Time area in Kissimmee, allowing bidders a chance to get an up-close, in-person look before placing final bids online.
This dual-department effort offers bidders two exciting ways to bid on this trio of headlining collections, a group led by the Rusted Restoration Collection with its wide array of Kissimmee-bound offerings from clocks and pedal cars to signs and more. Highlights include pieces like a Frontenac Red Indian Gasoline Double-Sided Porcelain Sign, a Pepsi-Cola UFO Spinning Advertisement, a Rexall Drugs neon sign and a pair of 1970 7Up embossed tin signs. Meanwhile, the On Time portion of the collection is set to go live in mid-November, with the pieces available for bids right up through the time their live auction counterparts start crossing the block in Kissimmee.
The Geri Bauer’s Forest Park Car Collection from Bridgehampton, New York is sure to offer an enticing selection to bidders in Kissimmee as well with its selection of signs, gas pumps, vending machines, vintage cash registers and more. Among the highlights set to cross the live auction block are a 1935 Gulf Tokheim Model 871 Clock Face Gas Pump and a 1947 Gilmore Bennett Model 646 Gas Pump, as well as some impressive signage in the form of a Signal Gas porcelain sign, a Nash porcelain neon sign and a 1940s Hampton’s Drugs Double-Sided Tin Neon Sign. For those looking to get a jump on the bidding action, On Time offerings from the late Geri Bauer’s collection will launch November 4 with pieces like an 1890s The Underwriters Copper Fire Extinguisher, a Shell PAM Service Station Clock and an Esso Elephant Kerosene Single-Sided Porcelain Sign up for grabs.
The last of the three collections, the RVM Classics – The Richard V. Munz Collection, is a truly awe-inspiring offering encompassing more than 140 lots slated for the live Kissimmee auction and four separate On Time auctions, all to kick off on November 4. The highlights from the RVM Classics illustrate its breadth well, with the pieces ranging from War Eagle and Mills Blue-Bell slot machines to a Gilmore Kiddie Ride, a Shell Wayne Clock Face Gas Pump, a Ford Mercury Single-Sided Porcelain Neon Sign and even auto parts like a Supercharger and Intake Manifold. The four On Time collections take those offerings a step further with one auction for framed artwork, one for diecasts, scale models and decanters, and two separate auctions for parts alone—one for GM, Pontiac, Cadillac and other related brands, and one for Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and more.
Featured Lots |
Other Notable On Time Collections
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