Value sought - 1988 Reatta pewter model with stand

[JimCobb]

If I'm posting this in the wrong area, please kindly direct me to the appropriate place. My father passed last year and I inherited his collection of Buick memorabilia. Among them is this pewter Reatta model on a mirrored wood base. I'm finding very little information on it online, though I did see a few posts on this forum about them over the years. I'm trying to come up with a fair value for it. Could someone assist in that regard? It is in great shape, just a little dusty from sitting on a shelf and then in storage. Thanks so much!

[MrEarl]

Sorry to hear your dad passed Jim,please feel free to share more about him if you'd like. You're in the right place but I'll post a reference to this in the Reatta forum to ensure they see it.

Thanks for sharing.

[MrEarl]

Never mind, I see it was getting moved as  was typing.🙂

[DAVES89]

I bought one just like it [My number is 003 stamped on the bottom of the car] for about $200.00 which I thought was fair. If you don't get any interest here you could try ebay.

 BTW what else do you have?

Edited September 7, 2020 by DAVES89 (see edit history)

[olbuickman]

Jim, my name is Frank Robb,Brookfield, wi. Reading your post, I just realized you lost your dad a year ago. I am sorry for your loss. I was the area sales mgr. for Buick motor Division and I called on your dad at bothBerndt  Buick and again at Frascona Buick. Your dad was one of the finest persons that I contacted .He was very professional and a delight to deal with.I had many great memories with him. Frank

[JimCobb]

1 hour ago, olbuickman said:

Jim, my name is Frank Robb,Brookfield, wi. Reading your post, I just realized you lost your dad a year ago. I am sorry for your loss. I was the area sales mgr. for Buick motor Division and I called on your dad at bothBerndt  Buick and again at Frascona Buick. Your dad was one of the finest persons that I contacted .He was very professional and a delight to deal with.I had many great memories with him. Frank

 

Thank you for your kind words, sir. I remember my father speaking fondly of you on a number of occasions and I know he treasured working with you.

[JimCobb]

On 9/7/2020 at 8:25 AM, DAVES89 said:

I bought one just like it [My number is 003 stamped on the bottom of the car] for about $200.00 which I thought was fair. If you don't get any interest here you could try ebay.

 BTW what else do you have?

 

Thanks for the response. Sorry for the delay - holiday weekend and all that. I thought I'd seen references elsewhere on this forum indicating prices of $500 or so? I'm not sure what number this one is, I'll have to dig it out and see.

 

As for other items, I'm still working my way through the boxes, deciding what to keep and what needs a new home. Here are some others that I'll likely be posting for sale at some point soon, though again I need to determine values.

[DAVES89]

1 hour ago, JimCobb said:

 

Thanks for the response. Sorry for the delay - holiday weekend and all that. I thought I'd seen references elsewhere on this forum indicating prices of $500 or so? I'm not sure what number this one is, I'll have to dig it out and see.

 

As for other items, I'm still working my way through the boxes, deciding what to keep and what needs a new home. Here are some others that I'll likely be posting for sale at some point soon, though again I need to determine values.

Then I must have got a deal. I may have paid more but I know I didn't go over $250.00 for it.

[DAVES89]

7 minutes ago, DAVES89 said:

Then I must have got a deal. I may have paid more but I know I didn't go over $250.00 for it.

I looked up my posting history using the search button [on the top of the page] keyed in "Pewter" and DAVES89. There was one [unsold] that a guy wanted $900.00 for back in 2012. And then there was a guy running a booth in Springfield at a Buick reunion in 2015 that wanted $600.00 for his. I talked him down to $600.00 and two NOS front rotors but two guys [one mentioned in the post named kdirk and another "vendor" guy] talked me out of it telling me to wait and I could get one for way less. The about 1-2 years later one did pop up again and I bought it. 

[padgett]

Well it is rare, and desirable to some, but seems less interest in Reattas now than a few years ago. Have been trying to drum up some interest in FRACs, GM 2 seasters of the 80s but no success.

[2seater]

8 minutes ago, padgett said:

Well it is rare, and desirable to some, but seems less interest in Reattas now than a few years ago. Have been trying to drum up some interest in FRACs, GM 2 seasters of the 80s but no success.

You and your acronyms🤪 Must be a military hangover. There was a black XLR around these parts for the last few years, but not a black car fan. A few days ago I saw a charcoal gray one and for the life of me, it looked more intimidating. Somehow the hood got longer in that color and did get me to daydreaming, so all is not lost. 🤑

[padgett]

FRAC: Fiero, Reatta, Allante, Corvette. Just like Nova Omega Ventura, Apollo. GM-speak.

 

Came close to buying an XLR a couple of times but owners were too proud. Now have two 89 Allantes that have luggage space and hardtops and computers I can reprogram. Paid 1/4 the current CL price of an XLR for the first and 1/2 of that for the second (and was 5 miles from my house). Has 35 more HP than my Reatta. Both run good and have cold AC. Now I just need to divest myself of the two Mercedes SLKs.

[Booreatta]

Jim getting back to values the pewter car is rare and the last one that I know of was sold in the $500.00 range in Arizona but that was several years ago  there were 3 different versions that Barney has found  One was the select 60 tag on the base. the one that you have and one that read Pacesetters on the tag on the wood base. The pewter cars mostly likely all were molded at the same time as all of the ones I have seen all rocked slightly when put on a flat surface and I have seen 9 or 10 from to 2003 to 2015. Check on the muffler I have seen PROOF, PROTO. and a number engraved on the mufflers  I dont know if that makes a diff in value or not. 

I think Padgett is correct the interest in the Reatta is down somewhat so who knows what it will bring in the long run  

I have seen the clock and the flag but I dont remember prices

My suggestion would be EBay or FB marketplace there are folks out there that are looking for the items

It would be really nice if when you dig out the car if there is any information as to who made the pewter car.  I have searched for the mfg and I know Barney Eaton has also with no luck  As far as I know there is no information as to how many pewter cars were made. 

Good Luck

Chuck

[Barney Eaton]

I have been away from home and now find there is some change to the AACA forum program and I cannot respond using my present

internet.

Chuck's response is correct and there is not much I can add because we do not know a lot about the models. 

What we believe.......

There were 60 designated for the Select Sixty Buick Dealers...the plaque indicated that and we believe they were numbered on the muffler, probably  1 to 60. 

The next group was for the Sales Pacesetters... the plaque would say Pacesetters and they are probably numbered but we do not have enough data to tell if the number started at 61 or 100,  but there were supposidly 100 Pacestetter salesmen. 

The last group has the plaque that is on your base and we have very little info to estimate the number of the last group

We believe Buick would have ordered maybe at total of 500 and that would include the first 160,  but we also know there are cars out there with other stamping on the muffler... Stan Leslie has one that says PROOF or Prototype and they may have made several of those.

What are they worth?    Whatever you can buy or sell one for.    It is difficult to sell something so simple for $500 especially in a limited market.

Whatever the number, the most valuable would be the select 60 base with a car that has a 1-60 number stamped on the muffler. 

What I have seen is cars in the last group with numbers stamped on them.... my guess is two different Buick employees had cars and were looking at them...not realizing one might have a number stamped on the bottom and the cars got switched with the base....lots of things can happen in 30 years.