Auction alert: Enamel Signs & Advertising Memorabilia

An Auction of Enamel Signs & Advertising Memorabilia takes place on Thursday 6^th July 2023, starting at 10am at Truro Auction Centre in Redruth, Cornwall. A total of 404 lots will be for sale:

A local estate single collection of over 300 enamel signs, advertising memorabilia, pump globes, vehicle mascots and collectables

Some people are specialists in the field of old enamel advertising and know the value and scarcity of one sign over another. Others are completely obsessed collectors, willing to pay in the high hundreds of pounds for particular pieces. I just know what I like and what catches my eye – with no idea about what it’s worth. In this sale, I’m most attracted to the Yorkshire Relish, Holdfast Boots and Macleans Tooth Paste signs.

Buyer’s premium (inc. VAT/sales tax): 18%
Online commission (inc. VAT/sales tax): 5.88%

You can bid in person on the day or via The Saleroom website. Helpfully, they offer in-house shipping on most items (not furniture or high risk china/glass or large items).

Lot 1: A large old enamel rectangular advertising sign

“Morse’s Distemper – Now They’ll Have To Use It”, 60″ x 40″
Estimate: £150 – £200

Lot 7: An enamel rectangular advertising sign

“Batey’s Squash”, 21″ x 27″
Estimate: £50 – £70

Lot 44: An enamel rectangular double-sided advertising sign

For Monsters 1d Lemonade by Trenner & Son Grays Inn, 13″ x 24″
Estimate: £80 – £120

Lot 59: An enamel shaped-rectangular advertising sign

“R White’s Soft Drinks – Symbol of Merit”, 36″ x 10″ overall
Estimate: £40 – £60

Lot 67: An enamel rectangular advertising sign

“Macleans Peroxide Toothpaste Makes Teeth Whiter”, 20″ x 30″
Estimate: £70 – £100

Lot 115: An enamel rectangular advertising sign

“Robin’s Starch – Does Not Stick to the Iron”, 20″ x 30″
Estimate: £60 – £90

Lot 119: An old enamel rectangular advertising sign

“Eat Quaker Oats – In Packets Only”, 42″ x 24″
Estimate: £100 – £150

Lot 184: An old enamel rectangular advertising sign

“Yorkshire Relish is Rich and Thin – Thats Why It Goes So Far”, 21″ x 58″
Estimate: £100 – £150

Lot 253: An enamel teacup-shaped advertising sign

“Nectar Tea”, 13″ x 21″
Estimate: £40 – £70

Lot 303: An enamel rectangular advertising sign

“Its Meat and Drink to You – OXO Cube – Concentrated Beef”, 18½” x 12″
Estimate: £60 – £90

Lot 311: An old enamel advertising sign

“Holdfast Boots”, 17″ x 24″
Estimate: £70 – £90

Lot 381: An enamel rectangular advertising sign

“Sunlight Soap”, 12″ x 18″
Estimate: £40 – £60

Price Points: Enamel soap dishes

We have a few enamel items – both new and vintage – in our kitchen and bathroom. It’s a beautiful and useful material.

We have a handy Emma Bridgewater enamel saucepan that we use for heating milk and making porridge on our induction hob. We have a vintage ‘chippy‘ white enamel jug that’s kept in the bathroom that’s used to rinse shampoo & conditioner from hair. We have a trio of graduated, enamel lidded containers next to the sink which hold food waste and the washing-up sponge. There’s a similar one to these in the bathroom where we store bath salts. Enamel is great for all these products because it’s a strong material that’s easy to keep clean.

We currently have a bronze soap dish next to the bath – we’ve had it for decades and it’s a beautiful thing. However, it looks out of place in a bathroom where the décor is white, grey and stainless steel. I’ve wanted to swap it for a white enamel soap dish for a while… and we finally have one!

The three enamel soap dishes above were ones that I looked at and, for me, they all have pros and cons. I prefer the round shape to the rectangular, but the John Lewis one (#1) doesn’t have the useful drainage holes. I hate soft, waterlogged soap! I think the wall-mounted one is sweet and it has the all important drainage holes, but we don’t have a practical or convenient place to hang it above the bath. That means that #2 is the winner for us – it’s not round, but we can live with that!

Enamel soap dish, white: £8.00, John Lewis
Enamel soap dish: £10.50, Trouva
Wall-mounted white enamel soap dish: £24.07, Amazon

shop enamel soap dishes

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Prices & links correct at time of publication.