New record set for historic Shell Oil sign at Burns & Co. auction

At their ’Next Level Collector’s Auction’, held on 13 March, 2025, Burns & Co. Auctions sold a rare and highly desirable enamel sign for a new Australian record price.

The moment Burns & Co Auctions’ head auctioneer, Ashley Burns, received a call from a customer about a sign in their shed, he knew something special was on the cards. After that initial phone call, it was ‘all hands to the wheel’ and shortly thereafter, a staff member was in a van, on their way to Roma in Queensland to pick up the priority goods.

The “goods” consisted of a rare, three-panel Shell Oil enamel sign. One of the “stickman” signs (referring to the distinctive mannequin figure) that Shell produced a century ago, this example, measuring 2600mm x 1800mm, was in remarkably good condition for a 100-year-old item, warranting the 3,200km round trip to Queensland to pick it up.

Shell Oil stickman signs were produced with either a blue or yellow background in period. This was one of the blue versions, which aren’t as rare as yellow, but its outstanding, unrestored condition overruled that. Having sold a yellow Shell Oil stickman sign for $103,000 in January, 2024 (an Australian record), Burns was confident he could equal or even exceed that amount with this sign.

Four days after that initial call, the sign was safely back at Burns & Co headquarters in Bayswater, Victoria. A light clean-up revealed its exquisite condition, with minimal damage and none of the colour fading these signs can exhibit after decades of outdoor exposure.

The desirability of this sign was evidenced with pre-bidding reaching the $75,000 mark prior to the live auction on the evening of Thursday, 13 March.

At the Next Level Collectors Auction, bidding was strong from the outset. After a slight pause around the $100,000 mark, the battle kicked off again, with bidders competing all the way to the hammer, which fell at $115,000. The final price of $133,975 (incl. buyer’s premium) smashed Burns & Co’s own Australian auction record for an enamel sign by 30 per cent!

At the conclusion of the auction, Ashley Burns thanked all the bidders who had participated in this history making sale and sent a special thanks to the vendor for entrusting such an historic piece to the Burns & Co. team.

Highlighting how rare and desirable this sign was, the auction also showed that there are still valuable gems out there in people’s sheds and garages, just waiting to be discovered.

To see more items from the 13 March Next Level Collectors Auction, or to find out about consigning your collectable car, motorcycle, automobilia, petroliana and other automotive-related items for auction with Burns & Co., go to: burnsandcoauctions.com.au