Find a man cave and fill 'er up
Most collectors have a classic car or motorcycle in their large, climate-controlled garage space. Mantiques are used to decorate this man cave. This category has been around for 20 years or so but has taken off recently because of shows such as American Pickers, American Restoration and Auction Kings on the 7mate channel.
American Pickers is the original: "I'm Mike Wolfe. I'm Frank Fritz. And we're pickers." That word describes those who like to dig through junk shops, wreckers yards and old barns in search of rusty gold. American Pickers first screened in the US on the History Channel in 2010, and now attracts up to 5 million viewers a week. It attracts a cult following of local viewers. What is also known as "garagenalia" has been a part of Shannons classic-car auctions for more than 10 years, with consistent results in that period, although national auction manager Christophe Boribon says prices have escalated in the past three years.
Since Pickers has been on air, more people are saying, "yeah, I've seen that show, and I wouldn't mind having a shed like that one". Traditional garagenalia includes service station oil racks, enamel signs for automotive suppliers and vintage petrol pumps. More recently, parking meters and drive-in speakers have started to appear at Shannons auctions, selling for prices that will amaze those who don't live in man caves.
At Shannons Winter Classic Auction, held in Melbourne on July 1, a traditional silver parking meter mounted on a stand sold for $1050. That's more than four times the $250 lower estimate. Others in this category included a New York Supply Co. blasting detonator, which sold for $1200.
You can blame Mike and Frank for popularising vintage industrial equipment. The strongest result of the night was for a Gilbarco Electric Double petrol pump in Golden Fleece livery, selling for $5500. A rare Ampol vertical format enamel sign showing signs of age sold for $2600. Both results came in well above original estimates.
Collectors happily pay extra for examples showing defunct Australian brands of petrol. They want brands they can relate to, Boribon says. Golden Fleece, with its gold merino symbol, is most prized of all. The fibreglass or plastic ram statues that once sat on top of the bowsers lit up at night are especially treasured. Most restored pumps now have a reproduction ram on top. Pumps are used primarily for display purposes. The older ones, from 1910 to 1920, are usually too tall to fit in a normal garage. The shorter 1960s pumps have another advantage: they can be converted to a bar fridge. In October 2012, Shannons held a stand-alone garagenalia sale, featuring the contents of a warehouse accumulated by a private collector.
Everything sold, with exceptional results for a service station oil rack holding 10 rack bottles of Energol oil with metal pouring caps that sold for $2450. A neon sign showing the classic Mobilgas flying horse logo sold for $4600, and a 1930s-style pump, also promoting Mobilgas Super Plume, sold for $6100.
The surprise was a pair of 1950s drive-in speakers mounted on the original column, which sold for $1400. These have now taken off as a mantique, which must please those astute collectors who had the foresight to pick them up for junk prices when all those drive-in cinemas closed in the 1970s. Shannons sold another pair of speakers in July for $900. The next Shannons sale is on this Sunday, July 21, as part of MotorEx in Sydney. Mantiques play a smaller part than usual in this auction, but Golden Fleece enthusiasts should be after a Wayne electric pump in blue-and-gold livery, with repro merino on top. Estimates are $3000 to $4000. Sorry, bar fridge not included.
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
Mantiques (also called garagealia) are vintage petrol and automotive collectibles people use to decorate man caves and classic-car garages — things like old petrol pumps, enamel signs, oil racks, parking meters and drive‑in speakers. Their popularity has grown over the past decade and spiked further with TV shows such as American Pickers, American Restoration and Auction Kings, which have inspired viewers to hunt for "rusty gold" and recreate that shed-or-garage look.
TV shows such as American Pickers have popularised picking and restoring vintage industrial equipment, creating broader interest in mantiques. According to Shannons’ national auction manager Christophe Boribon, prices for garagealia have escalated in the past three years as more people recognise and desire these items after seeing them on air.
High‑value examples at Shannons include a Gilbarco Electric Double petrol pump in Golden Fleece livery that sold for $5,500, a rare Ampol vertical enamel sign for $2,600, a neon Mobilgas flying horse sign for $4,600 and a 1930s‑style Mobilgas pump that sold for $6,100. Other notable results: an oil rack sold for $2,450 and drive‑in speakers have reached $1,400.
Yes. Collectors often pay a premium for examples showing defunct Australian petrol brands they can relate to. Golden Fleece, with its gold merino symbol, is particularly prized, and original ram statues or reproductions are especially treasured on restored pumps.
Petrol pumps are primarily used for display. Practical considerations from auction observations include size (1910–1920 pumps can be too tall for normal garages, while 1960s pumps are shorter and can be converted into bar fridges), condition, restoration needs and whether branded elements like ram statues are original or reproductions.
There are entry points across price ranges. Smaller items and less sought‑after pieces have sold for modest sums — for example, parking meters have sold around $1,050, drive‑in speakers for $900–$1,400 and detonators around $1,200. However, rare or well‑branded items can sell for several thousand dollars.
Shannons auction results provide real market benchmarks showing what buyers are willing to pay. Comparing sale prices to pre‑auction estimates and tracking repeated auction results (e.g., consistently strong prices for certain brands or item types) can help everyday investors gauge demand, rarity and potential appreciation.
Shannons regularly includes garagenalia in its classic‑car auctions — for example, the Winter Classic Auction in Melbourne on July 1 and a stand‑alone garagenalia sale in October 2012. Shannons also scheduled mantiques as part of MotorEx in Sydney on July 21, often featuring brand‑specific items such as Wayne or Gilbarco pumps in blue‑and‑gold livery.
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