Cutaway Model of A 1962 Vickers VC-10 BOAC Jet Plane will Headline Miller & Miller's Jan. 21 Auction

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A cutaway model of a 1962 Vickers VC-10 BOAC (later renamed British Air) jet plane, one of only two known to exist, made by Walkers Westway in England, is expected to soar to new heights in Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.’s online-only Advertising & Historic Objects auction planned for Saturday, January 21st, at 9 am Eastern time.

The eclectic sale is filled with 376 lots of advertising signs, banks, breweriana, bicycles, bottles, clocks, coin-ops, fruit jars, general store, historic objects, models, militaria, soda advertising and sports memorabilia. There are several rare and desirable vintage airplane models in the auction (not all are cutaways). The Vickers VC-10 is the expected overall top lot (est. $9,000-$12,000).

All estimates quoted in this report are in Canadian dollars. Also, all lots are being offered without reserve. Everything will be sold to the highest bidder.

“This is a diverse auction built on highlights from well-established Canadian collections,” said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. “After years of enjoyment, these uncirculated rarities will change hands. From general store advertising to fruit jars to cast iron coin banks, this sale will tantalize even the most advanced collectors. It is truly an auction not to be missed.”

The Vickers VC-10 model is highly sought after by collectors for her beautiful lines and interesting history. The performance of the plane was such that it achieved the fastest crossing of the Atlantic by a subsonic jet airliner of 5 hours and 1 minute. The record held for 41 years, until Feb. 2020, when it was broken by a British Airways Boeing 747.

It became a standard airline industry marketing practice to woo customers by showing off cutaway models of their most exciting (and brand new) jets. Only the highest performing travel agencies were given the privilege of being "loaned" these models. The one in the sale was sent to a travel agency in 1963, where it sat nearly forgotten for over 50 years.

Then, when the building it was kept in was sold in December 2021, she was rediscovered by the very same man who placed her there around the time of JFK's assassination. The only other Westway BOAC VC-10 known to exist doesn’t have a cutaway view of the fore and aft cargo hold, nor does it sport landing gear, as the one in the auction does. The model in the auction is 88 inches long, 70 inches wide and 61 inches tall (with the stand).

A Dr. Lesure’s Veterinary Remedies cabinet with a single-sided tin front door panel that shows a horse’s head in an oval, made in America in the early 20th century and marked “American Art Works, Coshocton, Ohio,” should realize $4,000-$6,000; while an English 1884 Rudge 54-inch high-wheel bicycle in untouched original condition, serial # “1260”, outfitted with a new Kirkpatrick-style saddle, is expected to speed off for $4,000-$6,000.

Other lots also carrying $4,000-$6,000 estimates include an early 20th century Calgary (Canada) Brewing & Malting Company poster on single-sided lithographed paper with great color in the original 33 inch by 45 inch frame; and a Canadian 1940s Burns Bakeasy Shortening neon sign, single-sided Masonite with reverse painted acrylic package insert, 32 ½ inches by 33 ¼ inches, with the case featuring a heavily crazed painted surface.

A De Laval Cream Separators single-sided tin sign (American, 1910s) in a marked gilt plaster, professionally regilded frame, 40 ½ inches by 29 ¾ inches, should change hands for $4,000-$6,000. Also, a Coca-Cola Vendo 44 vending machine (Canadian, 1950s), painted steel with chrome trim and an all-original, true ‘survivor example’, with coin mechanism and interior bottle racks, 58 inches tall, is expected to make $2,500-$3,500.

A group of 18 Willard Chocolate baseball cards (Canadian, 1929), from the original set of 180, featuring Hall of Famers Zack D. Wheat, Jesse J. Hains and Walter L. “Rabbit” Maranville, has an estimate of $3,000-$5,000; while a 1929 New York Yankees partial team-signed baseball, featuring Lou Gehrig, Earle Combs and Leo Durocher (Babe Ruth and Waite Hoyte’s signatures were deemed “ghost” signed), should hit $3,000-$4,000.

A Hamilton Glass Works No. 1 clamp fruit jar (Canadian), aqua in color and in excellent condition, standing 6 ¾ inches tall to the top of the lid, has an estimate of $3,500-$5,000; while a Ward’s Lime Crush syrup dispenser (American, 1920s), porcelain with a silver-plated pump, 14 inches tall, should garner $3,500-$5,000. Among the Ward’s syrup dispensers, the “Lime” version is known by collectors to be the most difficult to find.

An Old Quebec painted cast iron architectural bank (Canadian, 1900s), very rare, maker unknown, loosely based on a house in Quebec City known as the “Jacquet House” (circa 1675), 6 ½ inches tall, should ring up $3,000-$5,000. Also, a Beaverton Toy Company elephant mechanical bank (Canadian, 1920s), also very rare, made from painted cast iron, the elephant’s trunk swings as money is inserted, is expected to sell for $2,000-$4,000.

A Peabodys Overalls single-sided porcelain sign (Canadian, 1910s), 15 inches by 48 inches, a rare variation featuring the script “Railroad King” plus other differences from the more common version, should achieve $3,000-$3,500; while a Hickman-Ebbert Co. single-sided tin wagon sign (American, 1910s), self-framed, 25 ½ inches by 37 ½ inches, marked “Chas. W. Shonk Co. Litho Chicago. No. C 10289” lower right and “Design by U.S.G. Clemens, Copyright 1906” lower left, is estimated to command $2,500-$3,500.

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 LiveAuctioneers.com. Phone and absentee bids will be accepted. Here is a link to the auction: https://live.millerandmillerauctions.com/auctions/4-80OMU1/advertising-historic-objects. 

Live, in-gallery previews will be held Wednesday thru Friday, January 18th-20th, from 12 o’clock noon until 5 pm Eastern time each day in the Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. showroom, at 59 Webster Street in New Hamburg, Ontario. After this auction, Miller & Miller will hold an online-only Canadiana & Folk Art auction on Saturday, February 11th. Watch website for details.

To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the January 21st auction, please visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.