1905 Campbell’s soup sign fetches record auction price

KENNEBUNK — A 1905 tin sign that features five rows of Campbell’s soup cans in a portrayal of the American flag fetched a record price of $93,500 at a weekend auction, Oliver’s Auction Gallery announced Monday.

The 40-by-26-inch sign, manufactured by Campbell’s Soup Co. for display in stores, was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Michael Sembrick of Cleveland during a specialty auction of advertising memorabilia, said John Delph, consulant for the auction house.

Public outrage at use of the red and white-labeled cans in a representation of the Stars and Stripes prompted the company to quickly pull the signs back and destroy them, Delph said.

“They apparently missed five of them,” he said, adding that one of the reasons the sign is so valuable today is that there are so few of them.