Under the Hammer In Chicago
UNDER THE HAMMER IN CHICAGO
SOTHEBY’S ANNUAL MOTORcycle auction is fast becoming a fall rite of passage for classic-bike enthusiasts. Held this past September at the same two-story, timbered gallery in downtown Chicago, the second-annual event caught the eye of high-end collectors around the world, due in part to a 190-page catalog that included about 100 motorcycles dating to the beginning of the last century.
Representatives from Barber’s Vintage Motorsports Museum in Alabama figured
among the prominent purchasers. Key acquisitions included a 1926 ABC with a horizontally opposed 400cc Twin ($11,400), a 1972 ex-factory Harley-Davidson XR 750 ($69,750) and a 1999 Indian Chief customized for NASCAR racer Jeff Gordon ($32,375). Questioned concerning the ap peal of the lattermost, Barber's CEO Jeff Ray explained that "re constituted Indians are important, anyway, and the Gordon prove nance made it a particular attrac
tion in our part of the world.” Gordon magnanimously split the proceeds with the Hendrick Marrow and Make-AWish Foundations.
Most of the sale’s core revenue was generated by the 25 or so 1920 to 1950 Harley, Indian and Excelsior Twins and Fours, but considerable interest was shown for lesser-known pioneer brands. To wit, the following: 1900 Thomas ($41,000),
1904 Marsh ($14,000), 1904 Zeus ($11,400), 1908 Erie ($14,400) and 1909 500cc FN ($69,750). What’s more, a 1905 F-head Indian Single went for $46,750, and a 1931 H-D “Peashooter” was knocked down for $31,800. Interestingly, the Harley’s new owner is believed to be none other than Willie G. Davidson.
With so few examples produced, any Crocker is a rare beast indeed. Somehow, Sotheby’s turned up a trio of the ohc lOOOcc V-Twins: The two 1937 models were snapped up for $81,250 each by an anonymous European collector, while the ’41 example sold post-event for an undisclosed sum.
Despite the sale of two 1974 MV Agustas-a 750GT ($26,050) and 750S ($35,250)-Italian
bikes proved less popular than the dozen or so examples of post-war British iron. A few highlights: 1949 350cc AJS trials bike ($7800), 1969 Velocette Thruxton ($16,800) and still-in-crate 1973 Norton 850 Commando ($12,000).
Top dollar was paid for a “barn fresh” 1915 Harley-Davidson F-l 1 V-Twin ($110,000) by the Guggenheim’s Ultan Guilfoyle on behalf of a private client. Surprisingly, what was surely the neatest 1930 BroughSuperior SS80 ever seen at auction failed to meet its reserve. This machine was also later sold, price unknown.
At day’s end, a nearly 75 percent “score” rate produced a gross of $2.2 million, sufficient for Sotheby’s Larry Sirolli, whose visionary toil has established this new marketplace, to confirm the company would indeed host a third sale, again in September in Chicago.
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