2,400 road art and memorabilia offerings slated for Mecum’s Indy Classic



(April 27, 2022) WALWORTH, Wis. — More than 2,400 lots of Road Art and memorabilia and nine private collections have been consigned for auction at Dana Mecum’s 35th Original Spring Classic to take place this May 13-21 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, and all of it will be offered at no reserve. Most of the items will be offered from a designated, Road Art-exclusive auction block, and Monday, May 16, will be dedicated solely to the offering of Road Art.

The Gary Thomas Collection of an estimated 60-plus Road Art lots will accompany his 26 collector vehicles as they head for the Mecum auction block. His selection includes porcelain and neon signs, gas pumps, pedal cars and other automotive-themed collectibles heavily inspired by his long career as a Texas oil company executive. Similarly, collectors Ed Foss and Asi and Lisa Sheikh will also offer Road Art assemblages alongside their own top-shelf vehicle collections headed for the Indy block.



The ACDelco Collection and More includes highly coveted items from Albert Champion, the cofounder of the Champion Spark Plug Company that today is known as ACDelco. The collection comprises more than 750 lots with oil cans, compounds, solvents, signage and other auto-themed collectibles included within, one portion of which will be offered live at the auction with the remaining items offered online via Mecum On Time.

The Dr. Vance Shappley Collection includes an estimated 1,000 items with approximately 400 pieces to cross the auction block and the remaining selections to be offered via Mecum On Time. The collection includes more than 100 advertising clocks, a large selection of gas pumps, signs and other collectibles.

The Lucy Watson Pedal Car Collection includes nearly 40 pedal cars and other select items dating to the 1940s and ‘50’s, with makes from AMC, Apache, Chrysler and even the Russia-based Moskvich automobile factory.



Porcelain, tin and neon signs, gas pumps, Ferrari-themed items and other collectibles make up The Stockholm Collection of more than 40 desirable Road Art items. Among the selection is a pair of large embossed tin button signs emblazoned with the logos of Coca-Cola and Pepsi, respectively.

Also to be offered on “Road Art Monday,” May 16, is the Classic Cinema Collection of nearly 50 vintage promotional movie posters, including those from blockbuster hits such as “Gone with the Wind,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Poseidon Adventure” and “Spellbound.” Due to these promotional posters being printed in very limited quantities specifically for theater use, these originals are rare finds today.

Closing out the Road Art portion of the Spring Classic auction on Friday and Saturday, May 20 and 21, will be a selection of more than 30 high-quality, large-scale neon signs including two unique single-sided porcelain neons, a Chuc-Wagun example (Lot Z916) and one advertising Skylark Aviation Grade Gasoline (Lot Z915), as well as two double-sided neons announcing Southern Select Beer (Lot Z909) and Dairy Way Foods (Lot Z911), to name just a few.

Bidder registration for this year’s Spring Classic is available in advance online at Mecum.com and on-site at the auction for $200, and it includes admission for two to all nine auction days. For those unable to attend in person, enhanced remote bidding options are also available, with options for both online and telephone bidding. Doors open each day at 8 a.m. with the vehicle auction beginning at 10 a.m. daily, Friday, May 13 through Thursday, May 19, and at 9 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, May 20-21.