Any Help Will Be Appreciated!

[TEG]

Hi Folks!

 

Newbie here and just looking for direction. My 95 yo Dad is wanting to liquidate his car and automobilia collection. He has 5 cars, 2 Auburns (30 Speedster/ 31 Phaeton), 1920 Cadillac, 36 Ford, 30 something Willys Knight. Plus Petro pumps, globes, signs and much more.

 

The question is:

 

Is there any groups that buy collections out right?

or

Are there any auction groups that will do the complete sales including packing, transport and set up?

 

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Tom G. 

[old car fan]

Where are you located?

[TEG]

Jonesboro GA. Approximately 25 minutes south of the ATL airport.  

[TEG]

I will try to add some photos if I can. 

[jeff_a]

Your Dad has one of these?

...Yikes!!

[TEG]

On 8/30/2024 at 8:21 PM, jeff_a said:

Your Dad has one of these?

...Yikes!!

Yes Jeff. He has a 1930 8-125 Boat Tail. 

 

 

[kar3516]

Tom,

The Auburn speedster is a beautiful car.  It will be a known car in the hobby.  I noticed that there is a large placard leaning against the wall behind the car which apparently references the car featured in a large show at some point in the past.  You might consider posting a picture of that placard here.  It will help interested parties identify exactly which car it is.
Kent

Edited September 1 by kar3516 (see edit history)

[TerryB]

Perhaps an auction company skilled in better items like you have would be the way to go.

[TEG]

22 minutes ago, kar3516 said:

Tom,

The Auburn speedster is a beautiful car.  It will be a known car in the hobby.  I noticed that there is a large placard leaning against the wall behind the car which apparently references the car featured in a large show at some point in the past.  You might consider posting a picture of that placard here.  It will help interested parties identify exactly which car it is.
Kent

Thanks for the reply Kent. That particular placard is regarding the Atlanta Aquarium's annual car show. The Speedster has been the poster car for that event many times. Search the car show and check out "images" and you will see posters made over the years. 

 

Thanks for the advice! 

[TEG]

11 minutes ago, TerryB said:

Perhaps an auction company skilled in better items like you have would be the way to go.

Thanks for the reply Terry. I know of a few out there, but not sure of any that handles a "turnkey" operation where they pack it, take it or just run it as online only. 

[TerryB]

11 minutes ago, TEG said:

Thanks for the reply Terry. I know of a few out there, but not sure of any that handles a "turnkey" operation where they pack it, take it or just run it as online only. 

That will require some investigation.  My wife and I did it on a much smaller scale than your items.  Auction company came and inventoried the items, packed and stored them at their location and then sold them.  Of course there is a fee for doing those things.  I am unable to walk so we didn’t have many choices on doing a lot of this ourselves.

[kar3516]

30 minutes ago, TEG said:

Thanks for the reply Terry. I know of a few out there, but not sure of any that handles a "turnkey" operation where they pack it, take it or just run it as online only. 

Tom,

There are others on this forum who are well connected to the premium auction circuit and who will hopefully weigh in here.  If you decide to go the auction route I think the two Auburns need to go to one of the high end auctions that have buyers ready to spend top dollar for well documented rare cars.  I doubt that those auctions will be the appropriate place for all the remaining items.  The high end auction season is almost over with the only remaining major mostly prewar auction at Hershey in early October by RM Sotheby’s.   Hershey might take all of the cars but Amelia Island, Pebble Beach, and the Auburn auctions are already passed for this year.  You will need publicity and the right buyer to get top dollar for the Auburns.

Kent

Edited September 1 by kar3516 (see edit history)

[TEG]

1 hour ago, kar3516 said:

Tom,

There are others on this forum who are well connected to the premium auction circuit and who will hopefully weigh in here.  If you decide to go the auction route I think the two Auburns need to go to one of the high end auctions that have buyers ready to spend top dollar for well documented rare cars.  I doubt that those auctions will be the appropriate place for all the remaining items.  The high end auction season is almost over with the only remaining major mostly prewar auction at Hershey in early October by RM Sotheby’s.   Hershey might take all of the cars but Amelia Island, Pebble Beach, and the Auburn auctions are already passed for this year.  You will need publicity and the right buyer to get top dollar for the Auburns.

Kent

Thanks Kent!

 

Dad has been to almost all the high end auctions over the years. He has bought and sold many cars through them and knows Hershey's is out of reach, plus at his age, he can't physically prepare for and attend auctions anymore. Fortunately, he has downsized his collection from over 20+ cars to the remaining 5 favorites. I have 1 person in Texas that says he's interested in the whole lot, everything, but communication with him is hit and miss at best. One reason I thought I would seek this avenue also. My dad stated that the 31 Phaeton carries a #1  show rating through CCCA so I thought I would do some research. I'm glad I came across the forums and the advice has been helpful. 

 

Tom 

[TEG]

A few more pics of his cars;

 

31 Auburn Phaeton, 1920 Cadillac 7 passenger touring, 31 Willys Knight. 

 

 

[kar3516]

1 hour ago, TEG said:

Thanks Kent!

 

Dad has been to almost all the high end auctions over the years. He has bought and sold many cars through them and knows Hershey's is out of reach, plus at his age, he can't physically prepare for and attend auctions anymore. Fortunately, he has downsized his collection from over 20+ cars to the remaining 5 favorites. I have 1 person in Texas that says he's interested in the whole lot, everything, but communication with him is hit and miss at best. One reason I thought I would seek this avenue also. My dad stated that the 31 Phaeton carries a #1  show rating through CCCA so I thought I would do some research. I'm glad I came across the forums and the advice has been helpful. 

 

Tom 

Tom,

The Auburn is beautiful!  There was a similar beautifully restored Auburn phaeton in last year’s RM Sotheby’s Hershey auction.  I think it was a no sale but bid to around $250K.  I’ll find the link and send it to you.  What model is your dad’s 31 Willys Knight?

Kent

[BobinVirginia]

Wow! Nice cars! 

@TEG

[kar3516]

Tom,

It was a 33 Auburn 12 Salon Phaeton at Hershey.

 

https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/hf23/lots/r0111-1933-auburn-twelve-salon-phaeton/

 

Kent

[TEG]

13 minutes ago, kar3516 said:

Tom,

The Auburn is beautiful!  There was a similar beautifully restored Auburn phaeton in last year’s RM Sotheby’s Hershey auction.  I think it was a no sale but bid to around $250K.  I’ll find the link and send it to you.  What model is your dad’s 31 Willys Knight?

Kent

Kent, Both Auburn engines were rebuilt by Jan Appenzeller. Anyone familiar with Auburns and knows the cars, are familiar with his work. That said, dad would be surprised at that no sale because his figure is half of the high bid. Had to be a very special car. I don't know the model on the Willys Knight but possibly a 66B or D? I can confirm that once i find out. 

Tom

[TEG]

22 minutes ago, kar3516 said:

Tom,

It was a 33 Auburn 12 Salon Phaeton at Hershey.

 

https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/hf23/lots/r0111-1933-auburn-twelve-salon-phaeton/

 

Kent

Thanks for the link and I just checked my pics. Dad's is a model 8-98 A and wouldn't hold candles to that 12 cylinder "Salon".  But he's thinking close to six figures

[edinmass]

Hi, very few cash buyers will pull the trigger on a collection today without it being discounted down to 30 cents on the dollar. Transport costs are staggering………and much of the garage art jewelry is harder to sell now than five or ten years ago. While I have no opinion to value of the cars without standing in front of them, the first rule of open cars applies. No boat tail is ever real without indisputable proof………..and most have nowhere near a chance of making that prove out on paper. There is a list of known real Auburn speedsters from 1928 to the end. It’s almost impossible to be added to the list today. 75 years of car collecting have proven this out. Just post the cars numbers here and we can check it against the list. Looks like a handful of nice cars. There is almost no market for the Cadillac or Knight cars shown regardless of condition or price. The two Auburns if correct will easily be cherry picked at below market prices……..start at a fair number to the seller and most people won’t even respond. I just got back from Auburn and the ACD meet……..lots of great cars…………about half of what they had thirty years ago. Expect a bunch of similar cars coming into the market soon……..supply and demand applies. Best of luck to the seller. Again, post the numbers on the cars and several of us here can provide feedback.

 

[TEG]

4 minutes ago, edinmass said:

Hi, very few cash buyers will pull the trigger on a collection today without it being discounted down to 30 cents on the dollar. Transport costs are staggering………and much of the garage art jewelry is harder to sell now than five or ten years ago. While I have no opinion to value of the cars without standing in front of them, the first rule of open cars applies. No boat tail is ever real without indisputable proof………..and most have nowhere near a chance of making that prove out on paper. There is a list of known real Auburn speedsters from 1928 to the end. It’s almost impossible to be added to the list today. 75 years of car collecting have proven this out. Just post the cars numbers here and we can check it against the list. Looks like a handful of nice cars. There is almost no market for the Cadillac or Knight cars shown regardless of condition or price. The two Auburns if correct will easily be cherry picked at below market prices……..start at a fair number to the seller and most people won’t even respond. I just got back from Auburn and the ACD meet……..lots of great cars…………about half of what they had thirty years ago. Expect a bunch of similar cars coming into the market soon……..supply and demand applies. Best of luck to the seller. Again, post the numbers on the cars and several of us here can provide feedback.

 

Thanks for the feedback!

 

Dad, having done this for over 35 years, understands the market and has kept up with market values and what's going on in the auction side of these type cars. These type of cars are in a smaller market these days and not bringing in the values they did 10-15-20 years ago. Fortunately, all his cars have more value than what he paid for them. That's what collectors want and hope to get. 

 

Thanks for your opinion!

[1935Packard]

Just chiming in to say that your dad has some great cars, and it's wise of him to liquidate the collection now rather than to leave it to others after he's gone.  Hope he gets all the money he can for it.

[TEG]

3 minutes ago, 1935Packard said:

Just chiming in to say that your dad has some great cars, and it's wise of him to liquidate the collection now rather than to leave it to others after he's gone.  Hope he gets all the money he can for it.

Thank you Sir! Just  one of things that I'm trying to help him with. 😉

[edinmass]

Having the cars running is almost a requirement for any decent result. Lots of photos and a few videos are almost expected before anyone will jump on a plane to come see the cars. I’m certain there will be interest with just a posting in the ACD club forums. Have a known good car will make the sale much easier. It’s likely people are aware of the car already. If you invite inquiries people will call. 

[kar3516]

9 hours ago, kar3516 said:

Tom,

The Auburn is beautiful!  There was a similar beautifully restored Auburn phaeton in last year’s RM Sotheby’s Hershey auction.  I think it was a no sale but bid to around $250K.  I’ll find the link and send it to you.  What model is your dad’s 31 Willys Knight?

Kent

Correction as I found my notes; the 1933 Auburn 12 Salon Phaeton was bid to $190,000 for a no sale at the RM Sotheby’s Hershey 2023 auction.

 

[alsancle]

17 hours ago, TerryB said:

Perhaps an auction company skilled in better items like you have would be the way to go.

Consignment to a dealer is a better idea.

Edited September 2 by alsancle (see edit history)

[alsancle]

3 hours ago, kar3516 said:

Correction as I found my notes; the 1933 Auburn 12 Salon Phaeton was bid to $190,000 for a no sale at the RM Sotheby’s Hershey 2023 auction.

 

 

This particular car was bought by the previous owner at Amelia 3 or 4 years ago and subject to a 100K plus mechanical sorting.  When it was available at Hershey last year it was probably the best driving Auburn 12 in the world based on who did the work and who the owner was.    It sold post block.

[alsancle]

What Ed said is sadly very true.  Selling the collection as a group will probably be 40 cents on the dollar or less.   Selling cars is very hard.

 

As for the Auburns.  Super cool.   Just get ready for the questions.  All speedsters and open 12 cars are suspect unless proven authentic.   To get any decent money you will need to show some provenance.  Hopefully the cars were registered with the ACD years ago and there is a history.

 

Good luck.    Dealing with aging parents and grandparents collections is a tremendous task for the guys that in the hobby.  Being outside it makes it 10x tougher.

[TEG]

13 hours ago, edinmass said:

Having the cars running is almost a requirement for any decent result. Lots of photos and a few videos are almost expected before anyone will jump on a plane to come see the cars. I’m certain there will be interest with just a posting in the ACD club forums. Have a known good car will make the sale much easier. It’s likely people are aware of the car already. If you invite inquiries people will call. 

Thanks for the reply Ed and good advice!

 

For anyone that has attended the annual Auburn Festival on a regular basis, they may be familiar with the Auburns or even my dad. He participated in the event for quite a few years until the past few years. He purchased the Speedster from Robert Pass, founder of Passport Transport and the Phaeton via the ACD Museum. Both cars run very well with both having their engines completely rebuilt by the late Jan Appenzeller. I'm sure dad has a more thorough history about the cars, but this is just some that I know of. 

 

Hope some of this helps and thanks again for the advice Ed!

[alsancle]

You are probably aware of this, but if the Speedster is completely real it is worth as much as the rest of the cars combined.   By real, it needs its original data plate, body number stamped in the original wood framing, original engine stamping and history back to at least the 1950s.

[edinmass]

With the new information I’m certain the cars will be known by club guys. I am caretaker of a very nice 851 speedster, and the man who owned and restored it back in the 80’s showed up at the ACD meet this weekend. He had owned several speedsters over the years and he indicated that the one we have was his best car…….all original wood and undercoating is still in place. With a history back to the 1940’s including photos. That’s what makes a speedster easy to sell……..rock solid provenance. If I owned the Auburn’s and wished to sell them, I would contact the better known Auburn guys who do the judging and certification at ACD. They know the market and usually have buyers lurking in the background ready to purchase good cars privately. I could also give you the name of a reliable and honest broker to work with if you need assistance. Just PM me. I have no interest in owning or brokerage of the cars. Best of luck, Ed.

Edited September 2 by edinmass (see edit history)

[TEG]

54 minutes ago, edinmass said:

With the new information I’m certain the cars will be known by club guys. I am caretaker of a very nice 851 speedster, and the man who owned and restored it back in the 80’s showed up at the ACD meet this weekend. He had owned several speedsters over the years and he indicated that the one we have was his best car…….all original wood and undercoating is still in place. With a history back to the 1940’s including photos. That’s what makes a speedster easy to sell……..rock solid provenance. If I owned the Auburn’s and wished to sell them, I would contact the better known Auburn guys who do the judging and certification at ACD. They know the market and usually have buyers lurking in the background ready to purchase good cars privately. I could also give you the name of a reliable and honest broker to work with if you need assistance. Just PM me. I have no interest in owning or brokerage of the cars. Best of luck, Ed.

Thanks so much Ed!! I will send you a PM. 

[TEG]

A few more pics:

 

The 36 ford is actually blue in color.

 

 

 

 

[TEG]

5 hours ago, alsancle said:

You are probably aware of this, but if the Speedster is completely real it is worth as much as the rest of the cars combined.   By real, it needs its original data plate, body number stamped in the original wood framing, original engine stamping and history back to at least the 1950s.

Yes and you are correct Al. Real and "Real" have two interpretations. The "Real" Auburns are just as you described. Perfect documentation on every aspect and certified by ACD. 

 

My dad's car is a real car that can't be certified. Sometime during restoration, the data plate was lost. During the process the wood flooring was replaced with metal. Not sure when when the plate was lost.

 

On the flip side, the ACD  authentication board ruled that every aspect of the car appeared authentic, but could not certify without the data plate. My dad sat in on this meeting...

[alsancle]

1 minute ago, TEG said:

Yes and you are correct Al. Real and "Real" have two interpretations. The "Real" Auburns are just as you described. Perfect documentation on every aspect and certified by ACD. 

 

My dad's car is a real car that can't be certified. Sometime during restoration, the data plate was lost. During the process the wood flooring was replaced with metal. Not sure when when the plate was lost.

 

On the flip side, the ACD  authentication board ruled that every aspect of the car appeared authentic, but could not certify without the data plate. My dad sat in on this meeting...

Send me a private message with a picture of the data plate.  I will look the car up for you.

[TEG]

10 minutes ago, alsancle said:

Send me a private message with a picture of the data plate.  I will look the car up for you.

Thanks Al but there is no data plate. I have the engine plate and number, but it's not helpful with the rest. 

[alsancle]

8 minutes ago, TEG said:

Thanks Al but there is no data plate. I have the engine plate and number, but it's not helpful with the rest. 

Send me the engine plate and whatever number the chassis is registered under and I'll send you back what the records are.

[BobinVirginia]

@TEG

You’ve got two guys here @edinmassand @alsanclethat are an unbelievable resource of information. I’m very grateful for the people I’ve connected with here. Best wishes with your endeavors 

[TEG]

21 hours ago, BobinVirginia said:

@TEG

You’ve got two guys here @edinmassand @alsanclethat are an unbelievable resource of information. I’m very grateful for the people I’ve connected with here. Best wishes with your endeavors 

Thanks Bob and yes, @edinmass and @alsancle have been a great help in advising me on my situation, along with others. This is a great community that I will follow while sorting out my dad's collection. As of now, it appears that the best approach to selling the cars is going to marketing to individuals directly or placing on consignment with reputable dealers/brokers. All will be vetted prior to moving forward. 

 

I really do appreciate all the replies, feedback and advice all have given on this thread and by messaging me. Please continue to share as that it can only help with working on this. With this said, anyone interested in the cars, restored gravity flow gas pumps/globes, Model A parts, signs/advertising, hit & miss engines etc....feel free to message me. I don't want to take this thread off topic with all the other things we need to get rid of.

 

Thanks again folks. Ya'll have been great!

 

Tom

Edited September 3 by TEG (see edit history)

[TEG]

Appreciate the inquiries Folks. Really appreciated!!