Hartung results?

ivoryjohn

Senior Member
Are there any reports from the Lee Roy Hartung auction yet. I will be interested in the stories guys have to tell.

Share your experience if you went to the auction please! This is the biggest thing since they sold Warner Brothers Studio.
 
Hi - I couldn't make it because I am finishing up the Nov-Dec issue of the Model A News - BUT my husband Ken has been there every day this week.

He took lots of photos for me - I hope to have an article on it in the Jan-Feb issue of the Model A News. There were about 45+ Model A's alone. Almost all were project cars.

BUT he just called me - today they were selling the cars - and he is the PROUD and ECSTATIC new owner of the School Bus - he said it was the best deal of the day.
He only had to pay $4500 for it. He said everything was going for double or triple the value. So he has to now figure out how he's going to get it home this week. It won't fit in our regular car trailer. Not long enough or high enough for a AA school bus.

He asked me Friday if he could buy it - if the price was ok - and isn't he lucky to be married to me - I said yes - (am I nuts like him or what - LOL!) he has always wanted a school bus - and now he got it. Another project - but he's so excited to get this. He said he wants to restore it as a fine point car. I hope we both live long enough to see that happen. It would be neat to carry our kids and 5 grandchildren in it.

He won't be home for a few hours - long line of people checking out - but he said he got some "A" parts too. He signed me with the auction (since I am the editor of the Model A News) to get a complete listing of the items and the prices they sell for - after the auction. So one of these days we'll have the final list of prices and what everything went for.

I think Ken said the motorcyles alone brought in over 1.2 million dollars.

I'm sure he'll get on the site this week and fill you all in on his experiences - but he has been there every day this week - Tuesday through Saturday. He's been like a kid in candy store. The photos I saw so far - are amazing - this guy had tons of stuff.
 
There were some extremely rare motorcycles there. The school bus sounds like a lot of fun. Might need someone with a heavy equipment trailer to get it home for him. Long Island group or maybe NJ has a school bus they drive everywhere but the drive train has been modernized a little.
 
the prices of the parts were selling for 3 to 4 times there value, i could hardly believe it. but it was a real nice 3 day experence i,am glad i went.
 
Just back from the Hartung "experience" What a week this has been WOW!!!!
I am not into motorcycles but Lee had a collection to die for (no pun intended)
I have known him for over 40 years and never new all he had. The motor cycles were unbelievable.......tHE MERKEL went for $175,000 whew!
The Model A parts went for about two to three times parts swap value.....In other words......way to high priced but lots of NOS stuff. I bought new steering parts and got some tailight brackets AND A SCHOOLBUS!
Model A's went reasonable in the 4 to 8k range with a 68C going for $10,500.
Remember all were unrestored and some what rough with bad fenders due to rough Illinois winters........school bus rear wheels are frozen and we will need to be flat bedded out to our house. Yes I am crazy but most of you already knew that....
more later,
Ken
 
Congratulations Ken and couldn't have gone to a better home.
Thanks it is a big project and I am looking forward to it but it is a little overwhelming right now......WOW but then it will be really cool we can take the whole family for a ride......Hopefully I am up for this challenge,
Thanks again,
Ken
 
Post some more pictures of the bus once you get it home, it looks really interesting! Obviously a once in a lifetime event, congrats on your new bus!
 
Hi Ken: School bus sounds like a great project. Jim S. was there but have not talked to him yet. If you can come up with all the results and prices paid that would really be great. thanks for taking the time to let us know what was going on for all the days you spent there and also for your wife. Dick Hansen
 
I spent Friday and Saturday there ,I was impressed with what they had.Yes ,I thought everything went to high,and you could not bid on 1 item like a distributor cap you had to bid on the whole box 25 to 40.That's how every thing sold in lots.I did not buy anything ,when I wanted to bid on something it usually when beyond my bankroll after the 3rd bid.I thought most of the model A's that were auctioned went a little high ,like Lee's own roadster sold for 22k,that may have been a nostalgia thing,but most went from about 2k to 6k the coupes going higher than the sedans,the phaetons went for over 6500(they were in nice shape) and the cabriolets even higher,and most all cars(in my opinion)were pretty rough ,I think only 2 cars could have been driven off the property,don't remember exact prices, of course you have to add 15% to everything.I was there mostly for the Ford V8 stuff but once again my pockets weren't as deep as others,and a lot of that stuff went high.Once again you were bidding on lots.There were a lot of nice cars from that era also.I believe the 40 convertible sold for 27k(very nice example) and the 34 phaeton sold for 22k also very nice. But I would have to say it was one of the most exciting auctions I've been to.Meet some nice people and was a great experience.
Nice score on the bus Ken,will be interested in the resto,on that one,looks like you will have your hands full.
One last note,the guy that bought the Merkel also bought the Pope for 72k,after the 15% buyers fee that puts him at about 280k for 2 motorcycles.
 
The heir is Lee's longtime "friend" Margie Cox.

I think some stuff went fairly reasonable. There were three lots in a row of Model A fenders. The total for all three lots was $700 for 26 fenders. Seven had a spare wheel well. Condition was very restorable for all that I saw.

The 1909 T chassis with correct engine and running gear was well bought at 13,500.

The 10' Garage sign shaped like a teens touring car brought a whopping $30,000 plus 25% for buyers premium and taxes!
 
Results are posted on web site. I wasn't there but looks like more Model A bargains than 3x the market to me.
http://www.auctionsamerica.com/events/all-lots.cfm?SaleCode=LH11
However the $3,680 for a collection of Texas license plates all of them singles most of which I wouldn't give $200 for was ridiculous(although it had 5 or 6 pre 1917 tags which are valuable)!
http://www.auctionsamerica.com/events/feature-lots.cfm?SaleCode=LH11&ID=r2229

28 Fordor 3163
28 Phaeton 7763
28 open cab pickup 5175
28 sport 3163
28 Tudor 2875
29 Phaeton 6900
29 open cab pickup 12075
29 Special coupe 6900
29 coupe 7475
29 Tudor 3450
30 Cabriolet 4313
30 Roadster 11500
30 Fordor 4025
30 closed cab pickup 8625
30 coupe 7188
30 coupe 4888
30 coupe 7188
30 Town Car 2588
30 Town Car 4600
30 Town Car 3565
30 Tudor 4025
31 1 1/2closed cab pickup 1150
31 Cabriolet 7935
31 Cabriolet 12075
31 Roadster 25300
31 Tudor 3450
31 Special coupe 7590
31 coupe 5750
31 Slant window 4 door 3450
31 Slant window 4 door 2875
31 Tudor 4600
31 Victoria 5750
31 bus 5175
average of 33 cars 6259
 
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Ken

Happy for you!!!!

Get the Bus done, do not put it off like I did the 1927 Light Delivery which I got in 1977 and did not finish until 2011.

Ron
 
Ken, I'm very pleased to see a Fordbarner get that bus so we can have vicarious enjoyment of the restoration. please keep us in the loop.....
 
school bus rear wheels are frozen and we will need to be flat bedded out to our house.

I would guess most of the wheels on the vehicles are frozen, Leroy's Barn flooded every spring 2 plus feet of water! :mad:

To bad you did not get the ******* found in the back of the bus...or did you?:D

I am happy you purchased the bus!:)
 
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