Hershey

The Hershey Lodge
11 - 12 October 2018

AMERICAN RARITIES HIGHLIGHT RM AUCTIONS' $11 MILLION HERSHEY SALE

RM Auctions returned to Hershey on 11–12 October for the company's 12th annual sale coinciding with the Antique Automobile Club of America's renowned Eastern Division Fall Meet. RM Auctions achieved an overall total of $10,999,096 across two evenings of spirited bidding at the Hershey Lodge, with a strong 94 percent of all lots sold.

Collectors and enthusiasts poured in from the swap meet field to the auction venue to view the nearly 150 motor cars and plentiful memorabilia on offer, with bidders hailing from 19 countries and 45 states across the U.S. Energy and interest were high across both Thursday and Friday evening sessions, with the top sale being the 1930 Cadillac V-16 Roadster. Offered with well-known, fascinating ownership history, elegantly presented, and authentically restored with a correct Fleetwood body, the Cadillac sold for a final $495,000, surpassing its pre-sale estimate of $400,000–$450,000. The top three sellers also included a one-of-35 1941 Packard Custom Super Eight One Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, which reached a final $357,500, and a 1934 Lincoln Model KB Convertible Sedan by Dietrich, one of just 25 examples built in its beautiful semi-custom style, which exceeded its estimate at $286,000 (Estimate: $225,000–$275,000).

"Hershey remains one of our favorite venues to return to, year after year," said Gord Duff, Global Head of Auctions, RM Sotheby's Group, following the sale. "Following days spent with collectors exhibiting true interest and passion for the hobby, we saw solid total results and an exceptional sell-through rate. On both Thursday and Friday, numerous individual lots of various categories achieved final prices well above their high estimate, demonstrating the very real interest in truly rare or exceptionally historic American motor cars."

These stand-out individual results extended from memorabilia, through to the pair of motorcycles on offer, as well as several automobiles. Kicking off Thursday sales on a strong note, the 1948 Playboy A48 Convertible, an unusual and very rare American post-war microcar, nearly doubled its high estimate at $132,000 (Estimate: $55,000–$75,000), while just moments later an award-winning 1912 Baker Electric Model W Runabout, formerly of the Harrah and Raymond Carr Collections, sold to a new home for $192,500 against a pre-sale estimate of $85,000–$100,000.

On Friday evening, the auction again began with excitement as a 1912 Marion Model 33 Bobcat, a very rare and highly desirable survivor, sold for $132,000, soaring past its estimate of $60,000–$90,000, closely followed by a 1957 Chevrolet Corvette 'Fuel-Injected' 283/283, which brought a final $159,500 after an extended bidding battle (Estimate: $80,000–$120,000). Finally, it was the one-off 1911 American Eagle Touring that saw the longest contest of the auction, with multiple bidders in the room and on the phone seeking to add this early piece of Detroit automotive history to their collection. The car was sold for a final $242,000, tripling its high estimate (Estimate: $50,000–$80,000).