New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada, April 8, 2024 — The 1914 brass shipbuilder’s plate #41 for Collingwood Shipbuilding Company for the S.S. Pelee sold for $15,340, and Canadian National Locomotive plates #6057 and #4006 brought $14,160 and 11,210, respectively, in the online-only auction of the William Robert Wilson collection held March 23rd and 24th by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.
Part 1, on March 23rd, featured 451 lots of railroad collectibles, bottles, pottery, stoneware and architectural items. Part 2, on March 24th, had 511 lots of additional railroad and architectural items, plus nautical and marine lots. The auction was officially titled Advertising, Railroadiana & Historic Objects / The William Robert William Collection (Parts 1-2). It grossed $554,453.
All prices quoted are in Canadian dollars and include an 18 percent buyer’s premium.
The cast brass Collingwood Shipbuilding Company, Ltd. (Canadian) 1914 builder’s Plate #41 had a modest $500-$800 estimate, but bidders knew better. Collingwood was commissioned by the Pelee Island Steamship Company of Amherstburg to build a reliable freight and passenger steamer. This plate would have been on the S.S. Pelee to show who the builder was.
The brass Canadian National Locomotive Number plate #6057 was for a Class U-1-e train built by Montreal Locomotive Works in 1930 and scrapped in 1960. The famous locomotive was used on a leg of the Royal Train trip in 1939, from Kamloops to Jasper. Included in the lot was a framed copy of Canadian National Magazine, with a cover relevant to the plate.
To watch a YouTube wrap-up video of the auction, click this link: https://youtu.be/2rgoYb4bWvM
Next up for Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. is an online-only Advertising, Canadiana & Historic Objects auction slated for Saturday, April 13th. Watch the website for more details. To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the calendar of upcoming events, visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.
