Auctions at Hershey

I know the RM auction takes place at the Hershey Motor Lodge during the show but are there any plans to bring back an auction to the Giant Center where everyone can attend without paying a entrance fee? I think Mecum Auctions would be a good company to look into.

There is no auction this year in the Giant Center. Other auctions have looked at the venue and passed due to expense, logistics, etc.

Thnaks Steve

There was a time when part of the "Hershey Experience" was the Black Hawk Collection and and various other exhibits were free for the viewing at the Hershey Lodge .

RM shutout anyone from not only the auction , but also the viewing of the cars to be auctioned in it's first year there unless you purchased a catalog at $80 (admits two) . Subsequent years , they allowed viewing of the autos but admission to the auction remained $80 dollars for two .

It really does anger those purist in the hobby to have a fee of that magnitude placed on them just to appreciate these vehicles .

Oh yes , to join the elitists this year you must fork over $100 .

The previews are open to anyone. As for the auction itself, they are crowded enough. I couldn't imagine how bad it would be if they were free. Why would it be in RM, or any auction companies best interest to have people using seats when they have no interest in buying a car?

The RM preview was not open to the public the first year they were there . Only those who purchased the catalog were permitted to view the cars . Many show attendees left the fields early to view the cars , but were turned away at the door .

I was asked to report on the condition of several cars for friends in Boston who would then bid by phone . I think you'll agree that if you are representing a seller you have the obligation to expose it to all walks of buyers and in that instance they preferred to create an aura of arrogance and privilege .

Regarding pedestrian traffic acquiring all of the seats , most auctions that I have attended naturally have a reserved section just for the bidders . General seating and standing room is then available to the public until capacity is reached .

Ozzie, I have to disagree. The first year the cars were in a tent. RM did allow one free early preview day a couple of days before the actual auction. I was there too and I saw it happen. RM runs a boutique auction and space is very limited. It is unlike the huge auction at BJ and other places. The Lodge seating is VERY limited. With a few hundred thousand people in town it would make no sense to allocate space to people who just wanted to view. They run a business and that is not arrogance or privilege. They bring this auction at incredible expense to Hershey and have provided an incredible amount of publicity and generosity to the AACA family as well.

If your friends in Boston planned on bidding you could have entered the auction with their passes.

The 1<SUP>st</SUP> year they were there I bought two catalogs for $160 good for 4 entry tickets. We went down Thursday afternoon to preview the vehicles and they wouldn’t let me in. Rather than drag the catalogs around all day Thursday at the swap meet (raining) I left them at home. Entry for preview by catalog only I was told and they would not look up my name to allow entry without having the catalogs.