Unique auction of municipal memorabilia — old street signs from Falls City — is underway

LINCOLN  — If your name is “Clifton” or “Harlan,” or if you’re a fan of famed illustrator John Falter, or if you’re just in search of some municipal memorabilia, a unique auction may be your ticket.

The City of Falls City is auctioning off more than 70 old street signs that used to grace intersections in the southeast Nebraska city.

The online auction features several signs from Harlan, Clifton and Crook Streets, as well as a couple from John P. Falter Drive, named for the illustrator and painter who grew up in Falls City.

The minimum bids for the signs start at $5. All proceeds will be used for road maintenance in Falls City, or for community programs and public safety initiatives, according to a spokeswoman for Municibid, which is conducting the auction.

Bids are already being taken on some of the signs, and bidding closes on some signs as early as Monday. Bidding on others extends beyond next week at the website: https://municibid.com/Browse?Seller=CityofFC

Falter’s most famous illustrations, which graced the cover of the Saturday Evening Post magazine in 1946, was a snowy street scene from Falls City entitled, “Falls City Christmas.”

None of the street signs being auctioned off, however, are pictured in that illustration, according to spokeswoman Shannah Henderson.