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WHAT’S SELLING ON eBay
WHAT’S SELLING ON eBay
by Philip Hawkins and Mike McLeod
$5,150 (38 bids, 18 bidders): 18th C. Folk $2,999 (40 bids, 14 bidders): Antique Oil Gas
Art Portrait, Pastel, Charcoal Drawing, Sign ~ SOCONY, Mobil, Vacuum Oil ~
George Washington. Hand-drawn in the Diamond Filpruf Bottle Carrier. This is an orig-
18th-century, watermarked Fabriano Paper, inal set as shown. Overall, in good, solid shape.
this life-size original pastel and charcoal The last picture shows two bottles that are
drawing depicts a profile of George Vacuum only … no mention of SOCONY.
Washington. He is wearing a large white collar Carrier has good color with wear as would be
with a ruffled cravat which is similar to his expected. Leave the made in India crap for the
Revolutionary War military jacket. This is a beginners. (photos courtesy of javadogcafe)
very well-drawn, strong profile of George
Washington. We carefully removed it from the PH: Petroliana is the category for collect-
18th century, reverse-painted Eglomise glass ibles dealing with memorabilia from gas
and a 21 1/2 by 27-inch gold gilt frame. The stations and the petroleum industry. This
18 by 23 1/2-inch laid paper has a Fabrino includes vintage gas pumps and parts, oil
watermark in the lower right-hand corner. cans, bottles, racks, advertising signs,
Fabriano Paper is well known for its quality, road maps and the like. As with most col-
and the company has been in business since lectibles that had expectations of being
the 14th century. used, condition of item and finish plays
Unsigned, this large 18th century George into value. I was able to locate two reported
Washington drawing is original and not after sales of complete Mobil Oil Filpruf carrier
any other drawing or painting. A unique racks with bottles in the last couple of years: one sold for $2,400 at Milestone
feature of this drawing is the background, Auctions in August 2020 and one at RM Sotheby’s for $1,750 in August of
which is actually watercolor and not pastel. In 2019. Our eBay seller received a bit of a premium over the most recent sale.
the close-up photographs you can see a very
tiny hole in front of the white cravat and some
light rippling to the paper. $750 (28 bids, 5 bidders): Rare Pepsi-Cola
The thin 18th century Eglomise glass has a rippled surface and a few Drape Glass Bottle 6 oz., Pat. 1925. Up for your
tiny dimples. There is some very light wear to the black, but the very large consideration is a rare “Drape” Pepsi bottle dated
majority of this early glass mat is original with no restorations. There also 1925. Manufactured in New Bern, N.C., the
is some wear to the gold gilding on the frame, but it also is in very good birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, which was founded in
condition. This important 18th century charcoal and pastel drawing of 1898. Bottle has embossed markings: “Pepsi Cola”
George Washington is Americana Folk Art at its best. It is certainly of (on side), “Patented Feb 10, 1925,” and “New
investment quality. (photos courtesy of eBay seller wwolst12) Bern, NC” (on bottom). The bottle has been re-
filled and re-capped with a 1951 crown/cap by
PH: George Washington was not only our first previous owner. Bottle shows scratches and scuffing,
president; he was our first cult figure. His death but no chips or cracks are seen. (photos courtesy of
in 1799 was traumatic for our young country, eBay seller starrla22.)
and mourning his passing was felt in every
corner. Virtually every from-life portrait is PH: Most soft drink companies we are familiar with
known. This appraiser believes this example is a originated in the later years of the 19th century and
“mourning portrait” done after Washington’s the first decades of the 20th. Ginger Ale was devel-
passing and is based on an engraving of the last oped in Ireland in 1851, root beer was first publicly sold
portrait in life of Washington done by the artist in 1876, and the first cola was sold in 1881. According to
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint- Bottle Bonanza, at Pepsi—once bottling started in
Mémin (1770–1852) in Philadelphia. (The 1905—bottle shapes, designs, and colors were pretty
original portrait whereabouts are unknown, but much left to a local manufac-turer until 1933 when Pepsi
many 19th century engravings exist for which it went from a 6-oz. bottle to a 12-oz. bottle, but it was not
is the source. See image below.) The seller’s until 1940 that Pepsi had a standardized bottle across all
example takes some liberty with the clothing (the original was a military bottlers – one with a molded name and paper label.
jacket), but the face is unmistakably a copy of the Saint-Mémin sketch. The drape bottle was made and used specifically
Innumerable portraits of Washington were done in the 19th century in the New Bern, N.C., area. As such, it had a small pro-
after existing portraits. Early, well-done versions still draw interest duction, and survival numbers would be guesswork as they would not have
when they appear for sale. Prints, engravings, oils, pastels and watercolors been thought out of the ordinary at the time.
are common. I was able to find another example for sale at Reggie’s Antique Pepsi-
This year, a 19th century oil portrait after the original by Gilbert Cola Bottles website for $425, which would be a good deal compared to
Stewart reportedly sold for $25,000, (an original Gilbert Stuart of the eBay example for a collector.
Washington sold for $285K in 2015), and another late 19th/early 20th
century oil went for $35,000. A charcoal version of the St. Memin profile Philip Hawkins, ISA AM, AAG is an accredited member of the International
portrait sold at Briggs Auction in 2018 for $900. It is not uncommon for Society of Appraisers and a founding member of the Appraisers Association of
original early, reasonable copies to realize $1,000-$5,000 at auction. Georgia. He can be reached via the ISA website or at 404-320-7275.
8 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles