MARKETWATCH
McQUEENOBILIA
MCQUEEN ON THE BLOCK
With the exception maybe of pocket lint, every- thing touched by Steve McQueen has a price
BY STEFAN LOMBARD
Rarely does one man’s stuff inspire the kind of bidding frenzy that gen- erally occurs when Steve McQueen’s things—his cars and motorcycles, certainly, but also his jackets and bags and watches and knives and sun- glasses—come up for sale.
Since the November 1984 auction of his estate at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas, there’s been no shortage of buyers lining up to own a piece of the “King of Cool.” And by “lining up,” we mean “paying up.” More recently, Bonhams has become the auction house of record for many McQueen items, though certainly the big-ticket buys still belong to Christie’s and RM. Here’s a brief cross section of “McQueenobilia.”
AUTOMOBILIA 1. Lot 103, Personalized Idaho License Plate, $5,265, Bonhams, Los Angeles, CA, November 11, 2006 (about 5,000 times any other vintage Idaho plate) 2. Lot 57, Wells Fargo Master Charge Credit Card (unsigned), $9,945, Bonhams, Los Angeles, CA, November 11, 2006 (9,945 times any other credit card that expired in July 1980) 3. Lot 415, International Driver’s License, $42,000, Antiquorum, New York, NY, June 11, 2009 (42,000 times any other old driver’s license) 4. Lot 62, Persol 714 Sunglasses, $78,390, Bonhams, Los Angeles, CA, November 11, 2006 ($385 for a new pair)
(Above from left) McQueen’s Husqvarna 400 originally sold at his 1984 estate auction for $4,700; in 2011 it hit $144,500. Persol folding sunglasses from the 1968 film “The Thomas Crown Affair.” International license granted him access to ride in the 1964 International Six Day Trials in East Germany.
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5. Lot 416, 1967 Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner Wristwatch, $234,000, Antiquorum, New York, NY, June 11, 2009 (20 times the estimate) 6. Lot 899, “Michael Delaney” Gulf Racing Suit from “Le Mans,” $984,000, Profiles in History, Calabasas Hills, CA, December 16, 2011 (about 4 times the estimate)
MOTORCYCLES 1. Lot 162, 1963 Triumph Bonneville Desert Sled, $84,240, Bonhams, Carmel, CA, May 9, 2009 (1.5 times the estimate) 2. Lot 101, 1971 Husqvarna 400 Cross, $144,500, Bonhams, Carmel, CA, May 14, 2011 (3 times the estimate) 3. Lot 177, c.1920 Indian Powerplus “Daytona,” $150,000, Bonhams, Los Angeles, CA, November 11, 2006 (2 times the estimate) 4. Lot 133, 1931 Brough Superior SS80, $176,000, Gooding, Pebble Beach, CA, August 20, 2011 (high estimate) 5. Lot 176, c.1934 Indian Sport Scout, $177,500, Bonhams, Los Angeles, CA, November 11, 2006 (10 times the estimate) 6. Lot 414, 1929 Scott 596cc Super Squirrel, $276,000, Antiquorum, New York, NY, June 11, 2009 (double the estimate)
CARS 1. Lot 262, 1952 Hudson Wasp 2-dr sedan, $58,500, Bonhams, Los Angeles, CA, November 11, 2006 (low estimate, but 4 times any other rusty Wasp) 2. Lot 178, 1958 GMC Series 101 Pickup, $128,000, Bonhams, Los Angeles, CA, November 11, 2006 (3 times the estimate) 3. Lot 64, 1967 Baja Boot off-road buggy, $220,000, Gooding, Pebble Beach, CA, August 14, 2010 (low estimate) 4. Lot 255, 1953 Siata 208S Spyder, $946,000, RM, Monterey, CA, August 20, 2011 (mid estimate) 5. Lot 148, 1970 Porsche 911S, $1,375,000, RM, Monterey, CA, August 19, 2011 (10 times the going rate for a 911S) 6. Lot 62, 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, $2,310,000, Christie’s, Monterey, CA, August 16, 2007 (4 times the going rate for a Lusso)
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