The Mary Wells Advertising & Americana Auction

The Mary Wells Advertising & Americana Auction, offered by Leland Little, is anchored by some tobacco advertisements from a variety of producers. One lot garnering a lot of early interest consists of two lithographs advertising Bull Durham brand tobacco. The largest, perhaps more desirable of the two, is from a promotion circa 1900 titled “Bull Durham’s Trip Around the World.” The ad is promoting a “souvenir postal card with each five-cent bag” and includes reproductions of each of 32 postcards, 30 of which feature illustrations from a different country. 

Some of the finer advertising lots in this sale feature classic soft-drink branding and other items for in-store display, including fine mid-20th-century enamel and iron Coca-Cola button signs. Many of these bright, classic signs look almost new. They demand attention and are sure to garner a good deal of interest among collectors. 

Among the many furnishings drawn from 19th and 20th century retail spaces, one of the most striking and notable is a large, late 1800s country store cabinet. Features of the cabinet include 55 upper glass-fronted drawers (though one pane is missing and two are cracked), and 21 lower, slide-out wood-fronted drawers labeled “Warren.” This is a large item and though it will likely garner a good deal of interest from collectors, it will need to be retrieved from the auction house immediately following its purchase. View any of these lots and register to bid at Leland Little.