This photo of Palma Motors in Paris Illinois has appeared several places, including here. It was taken in late July, 1953. My father probably took the photo because he's not in it.
The photo is of Dad and Uncle Milt's entire shop staff. Uncle Milt is on the far left, partially behind the windshield. To this day, I can name all but one of the men in the photo, even though I was only 7 years old at the time. I'm sure they are all deceased. Click to enlarge:
The vertical Packard neon sign in the photo was taken down and remounted in front of Paris Sales Company, the Studebaker dealership, when my father and his brother bought 85% of the Studebaker deal from Studebaker franchisee Harry Rhoads in June 1955 and moved there, about three blocks away. (This building was demolished several years ago):
The above photo of Paris Sales Company was taken in early 1955, before Dad and Uncle Milt "moved over" in June. Hence, the Packard sign is yet to be added to the front of the above building. The Paris Sales Company signage above the windows (the showroom) was removed because they changed the name to Palma-Rhoads Motors after the merger.
When Packard quit building cars in Detroit, Dad and Uncle Milt sold off their part of the dealership, including the Packard signage, on August 1, 1956. Part of the auction included the vertical Packard neon sign. Dad several times recalled that the Packard neon sign on the front of the building was one of the last items to sell, and a scrap dealer paid $1 for it because he was going to have to take it down before cutting it up.
Fast-Forward 63 years to 2019.
An identical old Packard neon sign in excellent condition was offered among the Road Art items at the 2019 Mecum Kissimmee Florida auction sale. It sold for $17,000.
Oh, well; I was ten years old the day Dad and Uncle Milt's sign sold for $1. I don't know where I could have kept it for 63 years.
(And before some wise guy says to account for inflation, I just looked it up: That scrap dealer's $1 would be $9.17 today; still well under 17 large!) BP
The photo is of Dad and Uncle Milt's entire shop staff. Uncle Milt is on the far left, partially behind the windshield. To this day, I can name all but one of the men in the photo, even though I was only 7 years old at the time. I'm sure they are all deceased. Click to enlarge:
The vertical Packard neon sign in the photo was taken down and remounted in front of Paris Sales Company, the Studebaker dealership, when my father and his brother bought 85% of the Studebaker deal from Studebaker franchisee Harry Rhoads in June 1955 and moved there, about three blocks away. (This building was demolished several years ago):
The above photo of Paris Sales Company was taken in early 1955, before Dad and Uncle Milt "moved over" in June. Hence, the Packard sign is yet to be added to the front of the above building. The Paris Sales Company signage above the windows (the showroom) was removed because they changed the name to Palma-Rhoads Motors after the merger.
When Packard quit building cars in Detroit, Dad and Uncle Milt sold off their part of the dealership, including the Packard signage, on August 1, 1956. Part of the auction included the vertical Packard neon sign. Dad several times recalled that the Packard neon sign on the front of the building was one of the last items to sell, and a scrap dealer paid $1 for it because he was going to have to take it down before cutting it up.
Fast-Forward 63 years to 2019.
An identical old Packard neon sign in excellent condition was offered among the Road Art items at the 2019 Mecum Kissimmee Florida auction sale. It sold for $17,000.
Oh, well; I was ten years old the day Dad and Uncle Milt's sign sold for $1. I don't know where I could have kept it for 63 years.
(And before some wise guy says to account for inflation, I just looked it up: That scrap dealer's $1 would be $9.17 today; still well under 17 large!) BP
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