New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada, February 21, 2024 — A spectacular 1927 Packard Eight 443 seven-passenger touring car and mid-20th century toys made by West German maker Schuco will come up for bid in two days of online auctions on Friday, March 1st (Toys) and Saturday, March 2nd (Petroliana & Advertising) by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. Absentee and phone bids will also be accepted.
The March 1st Toys auction has a start time of 4 pm Eastern and features the late Howard Meyer Legacy Collection. Up for bid will be 180 lots, all of them toys. The Petroliana & Advertising auction the following day, March 2nd, begins at 9 am Eastern time and will contain 398 lots of petroliana (gas station collectibles), advertising signs, toys, soda advertising and model planes.
“Howie Meyer’s legacy continues with his carefully curated Schuco collection,” said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. “Every toy was hand selected with Howie’s discerning eye. The March 2nd sale is bound to delight a wide range of collectors. Highlights include toys and display model aircraft, gas pumps, dealer signs and advertising, and a lineup of Red Indian.”
The 1927 443 Packard has been known for decades as “The Lindbergh Packard” and is the undisputed star lot of the two days. The 443 series was built between 1927-1928. This low mileage, numbers matching car underwent a meticulous restoration in 2005 by Stan Uher of Classic Coachworks in Blenheim, Ontario, where it was returned to its original black finish.
Packards of this era are renowned for their luxurious finishes and exceptional engineering. The car looks intimidating, but on the road it offers a smooth, easy ride. The tan wheels and well-fitted Haartz cloth top with boot are complementary. The interior including the rear jump seat was tailored with chestnut leather. The wood-grain dash has a tooled leather gauge panel.
“The Lindbergh Packard” was on permanent display at the Antique Auto Museum in Niagara Falls, Ontario during the 1960s. It was said to have been made for Charles ‘Lucky’ Lindbergh, although hard evidence remains to be found. The museum subsequently closed and the car has remained in private collections ever since. It carries a pe-sale estimate of $225,000-$250,000.
All estimates quoted are in Canadian dollars.
Many other March 2nd offerings are expected to pique bidder interest. These include a 1940s Canadian White Rose “Slate Boy” double-sided porcelain service station sign, impressive at four feet in diameter and featuring the iconic “Boy and Slate” graphic. The sign is marked “Villas Enamel Products Limited, Cowansville, P.Q.” and should realize $6,000-$8,000.
A 1920s Sweet Caporal Cigarettes single-sided porcelain sign made for the North America market in Scotland, featuring a fabulous full frame image of a package of cigarettes with a multi-colored “rising sun” graphic, has an estimate of $3,500-$5,000. The sign is marked “Falkirk Iron Co., Scotland” to the lower right edge, and measures 40 inches by 28 inches.
A Westway AC 747 1:72 model cutaway aircraft, produced in England in the 1970s, 45 inches long, with the original box and tripod stand, should bring $3,500-$5,000. Westway pioneered the production of cutaway models and made them for various operators to display in their company offices. They were expensive to make and many are on display in aviation museums.
Schuco toys are especially desirable to collectors because post-war German manufacturers were banned from exporting goods. Americans occupying the territories permitted the sale and export of toys so long as they were marked “Made in U.S. Zone Germany”. This marking was used from the mid to late 1940s, with underside stock often continuing into the 1950s.
A 1960s Schuco Elektro Radiant 5600 Sabena toy airliner in mint condition, patterned after the Vickers Viscount turboprop plane, advertising Sabena (Belgian World Airlines), 19 inches long with a remote cable, should ring up $700-$900; while a 1961 Schuco 6333 Disneyland Alweg-Monorail G-Set, marked “Disneyland” and “Schuco” on all parts, with track, cable, supports, a 3-piece model monorail, and original box and instructions, should hit $500-$900.
A diecast tinplate 1950s Schuco 6080 ladder fire truck in excellent condition, tested and working, the ladder rotating and extending, with original box with parts and instructions, plus three original composition figures, is expected to garner $500-$700. Also, a 1950s Schuco Curvo 1000 lithographed tin motorcycle, marked “U.S.-Zone Germany” and marked “Schuco” on the box, front and sides of bike, tires and underside of bike, should command $400-$600.
This is an online-only event, but bidders can tune in to the live webcast on auction day to watch lots close in real time. Internet bidding will be through www.MillerandMillerAuctions.com, plus the popular bidding platform LiveAuctioneers.com. Here is a link to the March 1st Toys auction: https://live.millerandmillerauctions.com/auctions/4-CQNOTZ/schuco-toys-the-late-howard-meyer-legacy-collection?limit=36. Here is a link to the March 2nd Petroliana & Advertising auction: https://live.millerandmillerauctions.com/auctions/4-C932HD/petroliana-advertising.
In-gallery previews will be held Wednesday through Friday, Feb. 28-March 1, from 12 noon until 5 pm each day in the Miller & Miller showroom, at 59 Webster Street in New Hamburg. To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the auctions on March 1st-2nd, please visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.
