OWLS HEAD – More than 250 items ranging from early steam engines to neon automobile signs to ship models to significant 19th and early 20th century transportation-related collectibles, artwork and ephemera will be up for sale at the Owls Head Transportation Museum’s Transportation & Technology Auction Thursday, June 28. The auction will begin at 5 p.m. in the museum’s State of Maine wing.

“There are steam engines and models that will appeal to a specific group of collectors. But we also have a 1930s pond yacht model, Edwardian-era brass automobile headlamps

and original paintings and early posters that will appeal to a broader audience,” said museum Executive Director Charles Chiarchiaro.

Significant among the ephemera is a collection of rare 19th century lithographs of steam fire engines, locomotives, carriages, and wagons. Also included in the sale are several lots from a collection of important Thomas A. Edison papers – signed stock certificates, patents and photographs, etc. – relating to his early work at his Menlo Park laboratory.

There will also be full-size, neon automobile dealer signs from Pontiac, Ford and Oldsmobile, original bisque car models from the 1930s, metal signs, hood ornaments and circa-1905 brass radiators. Several ship models – among them the historic passenger liner Titanic, the clipper ship Red Jacket, and J.P. Morgan’s private steam yacht Corsair IV – are also included in the sale.

Previews will be from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. today and from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Thursday, June 28.

Absentee bids are welcome. Live bidding may also be made through eBay. Phone bids will be accepted during the auction. For more information on absentee bidding, contact the museum.

A complete listing of items in the auction is available online at www.owlshead.org.

Proceeds from the auction will benefit the museum’s nonprofit programs and services.

The museum is on Route 73 in Owls Head, three miles south of Rockland. For more information, contact the museum at P.O. Box 277, Owls Head, ME 04854; call 594-4418; or e-mail [email protected].