ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Many extenuating circumstances can affect an auction. Everything from the economy to who sits in the Oval Office can influence an auction’s outcome. Mix that with the quality of merchandise and the categories offered, and there’s no telling how a sale will end up.

No such worries were an issue for Showtime Auction Services of Woodhaven, Mich., however. What crossed their auction block this past October was both divine and diverse.

Having the lifetime collection of Robert and Harriet Potter in house was an attraction. This couple’s fire-fighting memorabilia and other items spanned 50-plus years of collecting. Add to this grouping the second part of the lifetime pedal car and toy collection of Ed and Christy Ramsey and the fifth edition of a fabulous tobacco and cigar tin collection, and well, it’s no wonder Showtime’s two-day event on Oct. 6-7 was a resounding success.

“We had mostly country store, gambling and saloon on Saturday, and fire memorabilia, toys and pedal cars on Sunday; and as a result, the auction had two distinct crowds,” said Mike Eckles of Showtime Auction Services.

More than 200 people per day attended this October Showtime Auction event. Add that grouping to more than 1,500 registered online bidders (through LiveAuctioneers and iCollector), more than 400 phone bids and a 1,000-plus left bids, and it is no wonder only 15 of the nearly 2,000 items offered were passed. The auction grossed close to $2 million – the best fall auction Showtime has ever had.

Great pieces in every category made for a sale filled with impressive final bids.

The top lot of this fall Showtime Auction Services sale was a rare 1905 Wurlitzer Style 17 PianOrchestra. Commanding $120,000 – prices include 20 percent buyer’s premium – this Wurlitzer featured a viola-cello, 37 pipes, piano, mandolin, cymbal, bass drum, snare drum, and a display glockenspiel.

Bearing Serial No. 10306, and built to play Style No. 17 rolls, the PianOrchestra which measured 69 inches by 94 inches by 34 inches sold with 40 rolls and was in excellent working condition.

Other musical items commanding top dollar include an 1889 Symphonium Eroica triple-disc music box presented in an oak cabinet. Selling with 12 sets of discs and in excellent working condition, this 28 1/2 inch by 81 inch by 18 1/2 inch music box brought $24,600.

A 1935 Belgium Decap fairground organ with 61 keys and a 25-30 piece band including a bass, snare drums, tympani, bass pipes, violins, three ranks of violin pipes, trumpet, flutes and saxophone sold for $21,000. The organ measured 162 inches wide and 90 inches tall and sold with 25 books of music.

The firefighting memorabilia offered was extensive and many pieces were rare.

The top lot of this category was the early 1800s Ephraim Thayer hand tub which had ties to Paul Revere. Revere had a legacy at the Boston Fire Department as the result of his profession as a craftsman and coppersmith. Thayer had been an apprentice of Paul Revere and also became a well-known fire-engine builder.

Thayer’s first fire engine is on display in the Boston Fire Museum. The pumper offered by Showtime was in excellent condition and sold for $110,000.

A 1925 American LaFrance hook-and-ladder truck, a “Double Driver,” realized $52,250. An American Automatic Aerial truck, Type 31, registration No. 41, truck No. 2 of West New York, N.J. sold with Life Net and a pair of fireman’s boots. The truck measured 94 inches by 105 inches by 562 inches and ran great.

Operated with a different kind of “horse power” was the 1898 Gleason Bailey horse-drawn hose wagon of Plymouth, Mass., Type 610 in excellent restored condition – measuring 72 inches by 72 inches by 127 inches – came in at $24,750.

A serpent finial white leather fire helmet with a rare 64 comb design having a front shield that read, “Foreman 4 W.F. Co.” in excellent condition made $11,000, and an embossed silver-plated presentation fire trumpet came in at $6,050. Decorated with a Victorian woman and having eagle tassel ring holders, this trumpet was presented to “Union Hose Co.2, Won at the Fair, March 27th, 1872.” The piece measured 21 inches tall.

Vehicles created for the entertainment of children – both pedal and toy versions – also caused a stir, especially the 1925 American National Packard coupe pedal car. One of only three made, this 57 inch long example produced a winning bid of $11,865. And not to be outdone was the 1930s Buddy-L pressed steel Pure Ice delivery ride-on truck selling for $5,775. From the Buddy-L Morgue Collection, this 29 inch long toy in excellent condition was a prototype being the only example painted this way – blue at the base and white above. The truck sold with its original pretend “ice” and tongs.

A 28 1/2 inch Toledo Buick toy car painted green with orange trim and made of pressed steel in all original condition sold for $8,250, while a rare 1930s, 33 inch long Keystone pressed steel Chevy Coast to Coast bus toy in excellent original condition; “The best we have seen,” said Eckles, brought $4,950.

Great advertising items continue to garner top-selling prices at auction. Take for example the ultimate advertisement – the cigar store Indian. Showtime sold a fantastic example; an 1880s Samuel Robb wood cigar store Indian figure for $77,000. Wearing an early professional repaint, the figure had excellent color and patina. Eckles added, “This is one of the most aesthetically beautiful figures we have had the opportunity to sell.” The figure stood 78 inches tall including the base.

A rare Home Run cigar tin for 50 cigars having light scratches and minor touch ups, but otherwise in good condition, sold for $5,400. The tin measured 5 3/4 inches tall and was 4 3/4 inches in diameter. A Polar Bear “SCRAP” Tobacco tin store bin – 18 inches by 12 inches by 14 inches – considered rare because it displays the word “SCRAP” on it realized $4,200.

What is the best way to showcase antique advertising items? With a tobacco and cigar store back bar and counter, of course. Making $55,000 was a marble base counter with a curved glass corner and a beveled mirror. The counter was 120 inches by 108 inches by 65 inches.

The variety of items offered at the Showtime Auction Services sale seemed limitless with each category filled with rare, unique pieces. There were salesman samples; Beard Manufacturing Co. Windmill; Model M, Angola, Ind., 19 1/2 inches tall, $10,200.

There were store displays; circa 1890-1910, Daniel Peres Barrel Brand store display razor, one of only two known to exist, hung in the window of Corrado Cutlery in Chicago for more than 60 years. The blade is deeply etched “Barbers King” with makers mark and symbol deeply stamped, floral engraving at Ricasso and blade corners; spine is engraved its full length; handle is blued steel with intricate engraving on its entire border and gold floral engraving around both pins. In the center is a three-dimensional engraving of the Peres plant. The display measures 24 inches long and it closed at $14,400.

There were lamps; a Pairpoint Rose puffy boudoir lamp with a graphic metal base and a shade measuring 13 inches in diameter; overall 22 inches tall, $11,300.

There were signs; a 1907 Rock Island Railroad reverse glass sign showing a train, cattle and a man on horseback, sign had been in a basement in Chicago for the last 25 years; 89 3/4 inches by 26 3/4 inches, $72,000.

Cash registers, slot machines, brewerania, spittoons, fire lanterns, black Americana, windmill weights and match safes were a few of the other categories. To appreciate the scope of this Showtime Auction Services event, visitors needed to peruse the catalog and prices realized. It is an entertaining venture.