Nicol's Restaurant artifacts raised $43K at auction

ZANESVILLE - Hundreds of Nicol's Family Style Restaurant artifacts brought in more than $43,000 in an online-only auction that closed last week.

After local caterer Steve Meredith purchased the building in January, and will run his catering business, Chef Steve The Professional Caterer, out the building at 730 Putnam Ave.

Nearly 500 items from the former decades-old eatery that closed in 2017 were sold at auction online.

Pieces like T-shirts, old gift certificates and small tableware went for less than $20.

Bids for large-ticket items like a walk-in cooler and a soda fountain went into the thousands.

Nicol's Restaurant neon sign, other iconic artifacts up for bids online

The highest bid went to the iconic Nicol's Restaurant and Ice Cream neon sign at $16,025. The lot had attracted attention from collectors in other states and from across the Atlantic, according to auctioneer Lance Miller.

The top bidder was Americana collector Steve Nahas, who lives in Clifton, Virginia.

Now, the sign will be shipped 300 miles away to Nahas, marking an end to the 730 Putnam Ave. storefront where the sign hung for seven decades.

Nahas displays his collection in a barn on his property. Many of the items he's collected in the last 25 years are neon restaurant signs.

He was already planning to head to Cleveland to pick up other collectibles when he caught wind of the Nicol's auction on Facebook.

“I never dreamed I paid what I did, but once you get started on these things, it’s hard to stop," he said with a laugh.

The plan is to display historical photos and information about the restaurant alongside the sign, Nahas said.

Here are a few other notable bids from the auction:

• Hobart commercial standing mixer for $3,225
• Walk-in cooler for $2,325
• Ice cream soda fountain station for $1,025
• Antique metal sign from Zanesville's Greiner Dairy for $575
• Pick-up window awning for $160
• Various booth seats up to $111 each

Final bids for all the items are listed on the auctioneers website at edandbenschafer.hibid.com.

ecouch@gannett.com

740-450-6752

Twitter: @erinccouch