If you’re into classic muscle cars, you probably also appreciate and possibly collect classic automotive-related neon signs. We have good news. One of the largest private collections of nostalgic automotive neon signs is going up for auction. As well as signs for car dealerships and repair shops, there are signs advertising everything from beer to drug stores included in the huge Walker Sign Collection that was amassed over a handful of decades.
Mr. Walker, a big fan of classic cars and street rods, said his love for signs was just a natural extension of this relationship with cars. “Well, being a car guy, I thought owning some of the dealership signs would be something fun to get into,” Walker said. “And once I got into that, I quickly found that the future of these signs was not shaping up to be such a pretty picture.”
“They were destroying the history of these signs,” said Walker, “so when I realized what was going on, I just went crazy buying signs.” You might ask why he is selling his collection. Walker explained, “I’m 74 years old and I’ve got to do something with them! It’s certainly not that I don’t like them anymore. It was just that I figured they should be hung up so people can enjoy them.”
What began nearly a half-century ago as a self-imposed “save the signs” crusade, has since become The Walker Sign Collection, comprising more than 400 neon signs, many of which are one-of-a-kind, double-sided porcelain signs. The entire assemblage, collected by one passionate man, will be offered at auction by Mecum Auctions at a stand-alone event on Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28 near West Memphis, Ark., at 11523 US Highway 70 near the US 50 interchange.
The Walker Sign Collection will be previewed on Friday, March 27, 2015, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The auction will held on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. The collection will again be on preview the next day, Saturday, March 28, 2015, at 8 a.m., and the auction will resume at 10 a.m. Bidder registration is $25, and includes an official auction catalog and admission for the bidder and one guest for both event days.
If you want one or more of these terrific signs, you have to get in on this now! For more information on the Walker Sign Collection auction, check out the Mecum Auctions website or call (262) 275-5050.