BARRETT-JACKSON ANNOUNCES HIGHEST-GROSSING AUTOMOBILIA AUCTION IN HISTORY, SHATTERS WORLD RECORD
This 1953 Mobil Oil Pegasus coin-operated kiddy ride, part of the Ron Pratte Collection, sold for $40,250.
- With 2,000 rare automobilia pieces selling for $6.55 million, Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale becomes the highest-grossing automobilia auction in history
- Sales nearly triple world record, shattering the previous automobilia auction sales of $2.2 million
- A 1930s Harley-Davidson neon porcelain dealership sign (Lot #8997) and a 1950s Humble Esso Aviation Products neon porcelain sign (Lot #8991) were among the top-selling automobilia
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. Jan. 23, 2015 – Barrett-Jackson, The World’s Greatest Collector Car AuctionsTM, shattered world records with the highest-grossing automobilia auction in history during its Scottsdale auction, Jan. 10-18, 2015 at WestWorld in Scottsdale, Ariz. Barrett-Jackson sold 2,000 unique pieces for a record-breaking $6.55 million, toppling the previous record of $2.2 million. Top sellers included a 1930s Harley-Davidson neon porcelain dealership sign (Lot # 8997) that sold for $86,250 and a 1950s Humble Esso Aviation Products neon porcelain sign (Lot #8991) at $80,500.
“We hit it out of the park with our automobilia auction,” said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. “This year was our most successful auction in our 44-year history and automobilia sales were a part of that success. It’s exciting to set a new world record for automobilia sales during one auction. I believe it not only punctuates the strength of the collector car market, but reinforces the confidence and faith that collectors have in Barrett-Jackson.”
Automotive memorabilia, also known as automobilia, ranged from neon signs and gas globes to pedal cars and oil cans during the Scottsdale auction. Neon signs shined brightest at WestWorld and proved to be the hottest automobilia item at this time. In addition to the top two neon signs sold, one of two 1950s “Chevy Boy” single-sided neon porcelain signs (Lot #9495) sold for an astonishing $69,000. A 1953 Ford Jubilee neon porcelain dealership sign (Lot #9492) was also purchased for $46,000.
Many of the finest pieces in the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale automobilia auction were from the Ron Pratte Collection and sold early in the week. Neon signs and large porcelains weren’t the only Pratte items wowing bidders. One of the more shocking purchases was a 1940s Husky Premium Oil quart can (Lot #7376), selling for an incredible $2,300. Additionally, the top-12 items sold throughout the entire auction were all from the Ron Pratte Collection, including the aforementioned 1930s Harley-Davidson neon sign and the 1950s Humble Esso Aviation Products neon sign.
“It’s an amazing feeling knowing we made history last week by nearly tripling the previous world record for an automobilia auction,” said Rory Brinkman, director of automobilia for Barrett-Jackson. “Given the volume of items sold, one could have thought there might be moments of weakness, but that never occurred. The sheer quality of our automobilia outmatched the volume, and that kept the bidding competitive and the sales high.”
The top-10 automobilia pieces sold in Scottsdale included:
- 1930s Harley-Davidson neon porcelain dealership sign (Lot # 8997) – $86,250
- 1950s Humble Esso Aviation neon porcelain airport hangar sign (Lot #8991) – $80,500
- 1950s Chevy Boy single-sided neon porcelain dealership sign (Lot #9495) – $69,000
- 1940s Beacon Gas single-sided porcelain sign (Lot #8931) – $47,150
- 1953 Ford Jubilee neon porcelain dealership sign (Lot #9492) – $46,000
- 1950s Dogs N Suds neon porcelain sign (Lot #8994) – $44,850
- 1953 Mobil Pegasus Kiddy Ride (Lot #8899) – $40,250
- 1920s Wayne Roman Column Gas Pump (Lot #8987) – $40,250
- 1930s Sinclair Aircraft double-sided porcelain sign (Lot#8686) – $40,250
- Bill Haley’s primary 1940 Martin D-18 guitar along with bronze statue of Haley (Lot #8998) – $40,250
“Automobilia is just as much a part of our auction as the vehicles that cross our block,” said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. “This year we were fortunate to be trusted by our good friend and renowned collector, Ron Pratte, to offer his collection in Scottsdale. With so many rare and one-of-a-kind pieces from his collection, this auction certainly proved to be history in the making.”
Barrett-Jackson is now accepting consignments for West Palm Beach, April 17-19, 2015.
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