Don Titherington: The man who ran out of space
47-year collection of General Store Advertising comes to auction
A glimpse of Don Titherington’s collection on display in his home. Miller & Miller is proud to present the Don Titherington Collection on September 14.
For 47 years, with just a few small breaks in between, Don Titherington methodically indulged his passion for old advertising, collecting what he calls “the big three”: porcelain signs, tin signs and framed under glass paper advertisements. His goal was to fill every wall in his house.
It’s an understatement to say he achieved that objective. His collection of roughly 400 pieces ended up not only on every straight and slanted wall, but on doors, stair treads, the floor, stair railings, coffee tables, even hanging from the ceiling. His living room sofa became an easel for a Michelin Tires sign (lot 1249, estimated at $4,000-$6,000CA).
“Collecting brought me a lot of pleasure, but I used up every single space so there was no place left to go,” says the 82-year-old retired project engineer based in Kincardine, Ontario. With mission accomplished he decided it’s now time to sell.
Everything will be auctioned on Sept. 14, 2025 at Miller & Miller’s sale, General Store Advertising: The Don Titherington Collection. Everything, that is, except one piece. He pragmatically held onto a porcelain-handled letter opener with die-cut advertising in the shape of a cotton bag. “I use it a lot,” he explains.
In addition to ‘the big three’, Don collected select items from a few other categories, including glass, ceramics, cast iron and wood signs. He was especially drawn to Victorian, Deco and Art Nouveau styles with “a big focus on as early as possible.”
Ironically, several of the items in the upcoming sale were bought from the late Jim Miller, a renowned antiques and classic car dealer and father to Ethan and Justin Miller, co-owners of Miller & Miller Auctions. Those items include lot 1221 (estimate $1,400-1,600CA), a wood-framed transom with cobalt blue and ruby red glass featuring the patriotic Canadian image of a beaver. (The transom would have sat above a main door frame casting colourful light into the house).
Jim also sold Don an early embossed tin sidewalk sign featuring a young boy carrying an oversized ice cream cone advertising Shoemaker’s Ice Cream, of Kitchener, Ontario (lot 1041, estimated at $1,000-1,400CA). And there was lot 1254 (estimate $9,000-12,000CA), a round four-foot White Rose gasoline sign featuring a little boy collectors call “the slate boy” holding an oversized blackboard slate with the words ‘White Rose’. Don bought the sign from Jim at the now defunct Christie Antique & Vintage Show in Hamilton, Ontario. It was big and it was heavy. “I had to lug that thing a thousand yards to my car,” Don recalls.
Every piece that came into Don’s collection he meticulously listed on a spreadsheet, which identified the medium (cardboard/paper lithograph, porcelain or tin etc.) its unique qualities, size, the products advertised and more. “Each item has a unique set of circumstances,” he points out. “And each piece was bought in a different way and with different costs associated with it.” Over time Don gathered more insight and information on what he was collecting, through talking to people, going to shops and all the shows and of course by reading books, “which led to more books”. It was always important to Don to be informed and aware. “Knowing what’s out there helps you to not fall for the inferior stuff, or jump at the first thing you see.”
Don’s collection of roughly 400 pieces ended up not only on every straight and slanted wall in his home, but on doors, stair treads, the floor, stair railings, coffee tables, even hanging from the ceiling.
As the options for buying multiplied over the years to include eBay and online auctions, his purchases got a little more daring and somewhat more complicated. While most of his collection is North American, at one point he bought two large signs out of Australia, but was horrified to discover the seller shipped them to Toronto’s Pearson Airport instead of to his home, which meant he had to go pick them up and somehow find a way to fit them in his car. There was a porcelain Spencer Javas cigar sign measuring three feet by four feet (lot 1235, estimated at $2,000-2,500CA) and a porcelain Golden Mohurs cigar sign measuring approximately 3 feet by 5 feet (lot 1236, estimated at $2,500-3,000CA).
One of his favourite signs came from Argentina. It’s a colourful Art Deco-era Quilmes Crystal Cerveza sign featuring a dancer with an outstretched arm holding a great big crystal flute of beer while her orange dress billows out across the sign as though she’s just twirled (lot 1297, estimated at $3,000-$3,500CA).
On another occasion closer to home he bought a Black Cat cigarettes sign (lot 1321, $6,000-9,000CA), over four-feet tall, but when he got it to his car he realized it wouldn’t fit so he tied it to the roof and drove back to his house at 20 km/h for roughly 80 kilometers.
Needless to say, Don has been a deeply devoted collector. Years ago, when his fridge conked out he didn’t replace it for six months because he knew Bill Hogan’s legendary live auction was six months away and he wouldn’t be able to afford a new fridge and something at the sale. “But I managed. I just lived on non-perishable food.” (Bill Hogan was a prominent collector and the author of a 1979 book Canadian Country Store Collectables, a book Don and many other collectors religiously referred to over the years.)
It’s one thing to be a devoted collector, to chase a piece, research it, anticipate bringing it home, even save up for it. But to have every last surface in your home covered with your collection to the point your living room sofa becomes an easel, that’s a whole other thing. It might seem a little strange to some people, something Don’s quick to acknowledge.
“Why is The Creature From the Black Lagoon suddenly popping into my head?” he jokes.
By Diane Sewell
Diane Sewell has been a writer for more than 25 years, producing feature stories for some of the country’s top newspapers and consumer magazines, as well as client newsletters and commissioned books.
Sale Information:
General Store Advertising | The Don Titherington Collection
September 14, 2025 | 9am EST | Live Webcast
Additional online-only segment to take place at 6pm EST.
Bidding is now open.
SELL WITH US
Do you have a collection or significant piece of Advertising with a story to tell? We’d love to hear more.
Request a free, no-obligation auction evaluation from our experts today.
Did you enjoy this story? Feel free to share it using the buttons below: