Auction Details
Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Automobilia & Collectibles from the Estate of Francis E. Tarzian, Sr., on Saturday, July 30, 2022, at 10:30 am PDT. Mr. Tarzian was a passionate collector of antique automobiles and related items, whose restoration and machinist skills garnered numerous awards. This auction features a wide and eclectic array of automotive items, virtually all vintage and mostly antique, as well as some other collectibles from the early 20th-century era.
Among the many items of automobilia are gasoline, pump and truck service signs; license plate toppers; auto and truck badges; horns; auto lights and lamps; lanterns; collectible spark plugs; radiator caps; gauges; speedometers; a Cadillac steering wheel; and antique car parts such as ignition switches, clocks, radios, and more. The sale includes a wide selection of printed matter pertaining to antique vehicles, including books, magazines, maps, instruction manuals, and technical volumes including Automobile Engineering and Machinery’s Encyclopedia. In addition, there are several lots of advertising of vehicles and images of antique vehicles – all framed. More contemporary items include antique-car-show awards, badges, and ribbons; Shell and Sunoco coin games; and tire ashtrays.
Collectibles include a variety of antique sewing machines, irons, and cast iron toys. Rounding out the sale are miscellaneous tools, unopened consumer products, hip flasks, vacuum tubes, pipes and parts, law enforcement badges, a potato planter and seed sower, kerosene lamps, and wall sconces. Auction highlights include a boa constrictor horn; an antique Edison cylinder, phonographs and parts; and a GE Edison Mazda lamp store display.
About Francis E. Tarzian, Sr.
Francis Tarzian was born in 1929 and raised in New Jersey. His father, born en route while his grandmother was emigrating to America, was a stonemason who was adamant that his son Francis follow in his career footsteps. Young Francis, however, had other ideas: at age 17 – and with his mother’s permission – he ran away to join the U.S. Navy for several years. There he pursued his trade of choice, becoming a master machinist, and serving in the Korean War on the escort carrier USS Sicily.
In 1955, Francis married Vennetta Harding, then began their family of five children: Francis Jr., Rebecca, Nathan, Lydia, and Gregory. In 1969, the family moved to Los Altos in Northern California. During that time, Mr. Tarzian worked for NASA’s Ames Research Center on the Polaris missile project. One noteworthy career achievement was his development of the fittings that connect hoses to the space suits of astronauts.
While Mr. Tarzian had a lifelong fascination with all things mechanical, his interest in restoring cars began in 1953 when he purchased a 1921 Ford Model T Center Door Sedan, recovered from a New Jersey barn. This first restoration project, one that Vennetta participated in as the young couple was courting, was completed in the mid-1950s. It was also in 1953 that Mr. Tarzian joined the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA), where he became the founding member and first president of the Foothills (CA) Region. Today the AACA organization boasts over 55,000 members and 350 regional chapters.
Each of the restoration projects lasted about three to five years. Mr. Tarzian was known for the exceptional quality of his restorations and the parts he produced, not only for his vehicles, but for those of other collectors. Because of his reputation, he was often welcomed into car museums, where he was allowed to take precise measurements of a part so he could machine and recreate it. With the exception of one second-place Grand National award in 1988 (of a vehicle restored in 1967), Mr. Tarzian’s vehicles were consistently awarded perfect scores of 100 points. According to his daughter, Rebecca Ross, the result of all the attention, care and love were exquisitely restored vehicles that she says were “a piece of jewelry you drive.” In January 2021, four of Mr. Tarzian’s vehicles – a 1907 Schacht Runabout (High Wheeler), 1912 Ford Model T Torpedo, 1919 White Model 15, 3/4-Ton Stake Side Truck, and 1921 Ford Model T Center Door Sedan – were offered by Turner Auctions + Appraisals and sold to avid collectors.
It’s no surprise that a man who appreciated cars would have other mechanical interests as well – and Mr. Tarzian did. He had numerous mini-collections of automobilia, such as spark plugs, radiator caps and other car-related ephemera. Another interest were motorcycles: with his BMW motorcycle, he was a member of “The-Thousand-And-One-Club” – traveling 1000 miles in just 24 hours! He also went across country and back in three weeks.
Sadly, Mr. Tarzian died suddenly in 1997. Until recently, the family had chosen to keep his collection intact. However, with Mrs. Tarzian’s passing in 2020, the Tarzian children decided it was time to let others enjoy their father’s beloved collection of meticulously restored antique vehicles, automobilia, and collectibles.