Opportunities to travel back in time do not exist except in
fiction books and TV shows and movies. But on Sept. 10, in
Mosinee, Wis., old car enthusiasts got the chance to enter a
time-warp combination service station and repair garage that had
been shuttered for decades, to bid at auction on its vintage
contents of shop equipment,
tools and automobilia and petroliana items.
The auction, presented by North Central Sales Auction company of
Antigo, Wis., attracted approximately 280 on-site bidders. It
was conducted on behalf of Alfred and Gertie Buelow, who
operated the service station and repair facility since 1962.
According to North Central Sales Auction officials, the
facility, then operating as a Texaco-branded station, was closed
sometime in the late 1970s and its contents remained largely
intact for more than 30 years.
The day of the auction, the contents of the facility’s office,
parts storage bins, double repair bays and outbuildings were
organized outside the garage on tables or in rows on the ground.
The station’s gasoline pumps had
long ago been removed, offering plenty of room to display large
and small items offered for sale to the highest bidder.
Prominent vintage shop items included a rolling Hein-Werner
Corp. (Waukesha, Wis.) transmission jack, a pair of Lincoln
Engineering Co. (St. Louis) upright lubrication stands (one for
chassis lubing and one for rear gear lubing) and a set of
American Scale Co. (Kansas City, Mo.) 2×12 screw-type
jackstands.
There were several automotive parts display
units offered for sale, including a few that were filled with
new-old-stock (NOS) parts. The auction also featured many
petroliana items associated with service station operation,
including tin signs, parts display cabinets, customer give-away
items and shop repair manuals.
Officials of the North Central Sales Auction company told Old Cars
Weekly that the
Buelows were pleased with the results of the sale, and several
of the automotive-related items brought stronger-than-expected
money.
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