Irving Velco Bottle Rack, White Rose Petroliana, and Rare Oil Signs Headline Barry Yorgason Collection

235-lot online-only auction brings Canadian petroliana, rare advertising, oil tins, gas pumps, and service station memorabilia to market on October 18.

NEW HAMBURG, ONTARIO, CANADA, September 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A rare Irving Velco Motor Oil bottle rack; an important En-ar-co White Rose “Slate Boy” bottle rack; and a one-time Shell “Single, Double, Triple” porcelain advertising sign headline Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.’s Gas, Oil & Automotive Advertising – The Barry Yorgason Collection, taking place Sunday, October 18, 2026.

The 235-lot online-only auction marks the first sale presented by Miller & Miller Auctions in partnership with justdiscovered, a new collectibles auction house, and brings hundreds of tin and porcelain gas, oil, and automotive advertising signs to market from the substantial collection of Barry Yorgason. The sale also includes thousands of oil tins and cans, curb signs, rare oil racks, and professionally restored gas pumps. Bidding begins with a live webcast at 10:30 a.m. EDT, allowing lots to close sequentially in real time; there is no in-person event. Internet bidding is available through Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and LiveAuctioneers, with HiBid bidding offered through justdiscovered. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted.

Leading the sale is Lot 171, an Irving Velco Motor Oil bottle rack dating to 1935–1948. Made in Canada, the single-sided porcelain display was manufactured for Irving Oil Company Limited as a high-visibility service station product display, with bold red, green, and white graphics urging motorists to “Ask For Velco Motor Oil” for “More Miles” and “More Power.” The rack retains its arched base and two removable wire carriers holding a full set of eight embossed glass oil bottles with metal pour spouts. As K.C. Irving expanded the company’s service station network across Atlantic Canada and New England, Velco became one of Irving’s early heavy-duty lubricant brands. Authenticated by The Authentication Company (TAC #402900, #402901, #402902, #402903), the complete display is estimated at CA$15,000-20,000.

Lot 175 is a Canadian 1920s En-ar-co White Rose Motor Oil “Slate Boy” bottle rack, produced by the National Refining Company as a station display for its lubricants. The double-sided painted-metal display features a highly detailed lithographed panel depicting the company’s distinctive “Slate Boy” mascot. Authenticated by The Authentication Company (TAC #402908, #402909, #402910, #402911), the rare petroliana display carries an estimate of CA$6,000-9,000.

“This is our first sale collaborating with justdiscovered, and we couldn’t be more excited,” said Ethan Miller, CEO of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. “There’s something here for everyone, from new collectors to advanced collectors. Barry Yorgason spent years building a substantial petroliana collection, and this first session brings a tremendous range of signs, displays, cans, and equipment to market.”

Lot 129 is a 1927 Shell Motor Oils “Single, Double, Triple” porcelain sign made in Australia. The campaign ran only once, in October 1927, making surviving examples particularly significant to collectors of early Shell advertising. The single-sided porcelain sign is marked “ENAMEL WKS. GEELONG” and “PROPERTY OF THE SHELL COMPANY LTD.” and is authenticated by The Authentication Company (TAC #402820). It is estimated at CA$5,000-7,000.

Another important Canadian service-station piece is Lot 85, a 1946 White Rose Service Station sign. Measuring four feet in diameter, the double-sided porcelain sign is one of several sizes commissioned by White Rose and is marked “P & M – 46” along the lower edge. Authenticated by The Authentication Company (TAC #402811), it is estimated at CA$4,000-6,000.

Lot 135 offers a scarce example of Canadian independent oil branding: a White Fox Motor Oil imperial quart can dating to 1940–1949. Produced by White Fox Oils of Tisdale, Saskatchewan, the lithographed tin represents a brand whose cans were made in limited runs and are seldom seen. Authenticated by The Authentication Company (TAC #501956), the can carries an estimate of CA$4,000-6,000.

Automotive equipment is represented by Lot 94, a 1938 Gilbert & Barker Model 296 gas pump in White Rose livery. The Canadian pump is an example of the tall computing-style pumps introduced in the late 1930s as petroleum equipment moved away from earlier visible-cylinder designs toward enclosed mechanical computing cabinets. Stamped on its data plate, the pump is estimated at CA$3,500-5,000.

Lot 195 is a 1948–1959 Armstrong Rhino-Flex Tires sign, an embossed, wood-framed single-sided tin advertising piece made in the United States. Rhino-Flex entered the market in 1948 and continued through the late 1950s; the sign is marked by Donaldson Art Sign Co. and authenticated by The Authentication Company (TAC #402827). It is estimated at CA$3,500-5,000.

Rounding out the featured highlights is Lot 132, an Atlantic Gasoline Service Station porcelain sign dating to 1920–1939. Featuring Atlantic’s distinctive “Fried Egg” logo, the sign represents the company’s East Coast presence during the golden era of American petroliana before Atlantic’s eventual 1966 merger into ARCO. Authenticated by The Authentication Company (TAC #402823), it carries an estimate of CA$3,000-3,500.

The Barry Yorgason Collection continues with petroliana and automotive advertising spanning oil company signs and displays, service station memorabilia, gas pumps, oil tins and cans, and other collecting categories. As the first of three sessions bringing the collection to market, the October 18 auction offers collectors an opportunity to acquire material assembled over years of focused collecting.

Auction link: https://live.millerandmillerauctions.com/auctions/4-N0XTET/gas-oil-automotive-advertising-the-yorgason-collection

For more information and to view the complete catalogue, visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com. Bidders can participate through Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., LiveAuctioneers, or HiBid via justdiscovered, with phone and absentee bidding also available.

Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. is Canada’s trusted seller of high-value collections and continues to accept quality consignments in petroliana, advertising, watches, art, antiques, and important collectibles.

Ethan Miller
Miller & Miller Auctions
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