Lucky encounter unearths rare set of Ithaca signs
Sequentially numbered signs advertising old Yarmouth pharmacy
A rare sequential set of six Ithaca Signs made to advertise L.C. Gardner & Co., Druggists, The Rexall Store in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia is offered as lot 220 in Miller & Miller’s June 13 sale of Petroliana & Advertising.
There’s a famous saying that chance favours the prepared mind, but sometimes it just boils down to luck and timing.
Such was the case for Sam Bunton, of Calgary, Alberta, a 32-year-old parts clerk who works at his father’s business, the Old Motorcycle Shop. Sam, who’s also a part-time picker of vintage clothing and antiques, stumbled across an exceptional set of century-old advertising signs in a guy’s garage during a trip with his girlfriend to a town outside Edmonton to check out a used motorbike for sale.
Everywhere he goes, Sam asks people if they have any old signs, clothes, or antiques to sell. This time he struck gold. The guy advertising the motorbike said he actually did have some old signs in his garage that he’d been storing for about 30 years. “He takes me there and moves this old, greasy boat motor off the signs and pulls them down for me to look at.” Sam didn’t know a thing about the signs, except that he really liked them. Surprisingly, they were also in remarkably good condition considering the circumstances.
“The man asked me, ‘what do you want to pay?’ and so I made an offer and he took it,” recalls Sam (who also bought the motorbike that day).
Unbeknownst to Sam, what he got was a rare sequential set of six Ithaca Signs made to advertise L.C. Gardner & Co., Druggists, The Rexall Store in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, ordered by the owner, a prominent Canadian figure.
Sam Bunton marvels at the Ithaca sign discovery.
The signs, which are 36.5 inches tall and 12.25 inches wide (roughly 93 by 31 cm) were made sometime in the late 1920s to early ‘30s – the early days of the Great Depression. They’re painted metal featuring striking colourful images depicting the drugstore’s various services above its name. Made by Ithaca Signs of Ithaca, New York, which frequently made signs for Canadian businesses, the set was known as the ‘six-pack sequence’. They were part of Ithaca’s trade catalog and were offered in six, 12 and 24 packs. The sets also had small numeric markings used to identify the maker and the order in which the signs were to be displayed. The L.C. Gardner & Co. signs would have been placed one mile apart along the main street, starting six miles out from the pharmacy. It was likely a peak time for Gardner and his partnership with the Rexall chain.
L.C. Gardner & Co. Pharmacy, Yarmouth N.S "Six-Pack Sequence" by Ithaca Sign Works. Offered as lot 220 in Miller & Miller’s June 13 sale.
The signs are now slated for auction June 13, 2026 at Miller & Miller’s sale, Petroliana & Advertising. They’re being sold as one lot, estimated to bring $20,000 to $30,000.
Pharmacy owner Lindsay Cann Gardner (1875-1938) was an ambitious and accomplished man. He graduated in 1896 on the honour roll from the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy in New York and was a member of the Nova Scotia Pharmaceutical Society from 1899 to 1938, over which time he held the highest positions in the organization. He also became a prominent political figure in Nova Scotia and was Speaker of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1934 to 1938, a demanding responsibility which may help to explain why the pharmacy closed in 1934.
Lindsay Cann Gardner (1875-1938)
No records from the L.C. Gardner pharmacy are known to have survived and so the six signs represent an important piece of Yarmouth history. To have them all together is both rare and historically significant. “This was a bold and brilliant marketing campaign,” says Christine Blaus, a Miller & Miller specialist and consultant. “The signs have such colourful palettes and each one is different. They’re history preserved and represent a period known as ‘the golden age’ for these type of signs.”
Sam, of course, was not aware of any of this when he bought them.
After loading up the signs and returning home, he decided to post a few photos on a Facebook group chat devoted to antique signs just to see what he could find out. “My phone started blowing up,” he says. “I was getting message after message after message. One person offered $100, but later when I got an offer for $16,000 U.S. I thought, wow, I’m totally out of my element here. It was stressful, but in a good way.”
Sam received all kinds of advice about what to do with the signs, but he eventually entrusted Miller & Miller to sell them on his behalf. There was some initial discussion about splitting them up. Sam had considered keeping one for himself and another one for his mother. But it was quickly agreed they should never be separated.
“To tear them apart would be an error of history,” says Christine Blaus. “The fact they come with sequential numbering means they’re a set. For some people, this might be a collectible dilemma, but they were made to be together and they should stay together.”
This impressive, preserved piece of Canadian east coast history is a perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
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:
Petroliana & Advertising
Featuring the Cliff Love Collection
June 13, 2026, 9am EST
Live Webcast Auction
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