Wow, Talk about barn finds...

[Tilar]

I wonder how many millions are in this mans collection. It's all about an estate sale from a guy in the Chicago area. Lots of old cars and bikes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2gfB177sWs&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL0170E18C5B4A9A55

[hatersaurusrex]

"Since Lee had no future plans for his collection, the folks at the auction house have been given the opportunity to share this collection with the world."

More like:

"The folks at the auction house have the opportunity to pillage this guy's stash and make a quick buck."

[Aero426]

"Since Lee had no future plans for his collection, the folks at the auction house have been given the opportunity to share this collection with the world."

More like:

"The folks at the auction house have the opportunity to pillage this guy's stash and make a quick buck."

It is not RM's fault that the deceased did not have a plan to keep the collection intact.     It is always sad to see a collection broken up.  But I am sure a lot of the stuff will now be cared for as jewels compared to being hoarded in an unheated dirty pole building.    So it goes both ways.   A lot of other collectors got a shot at stuff that was otherwise unobtainium. 

[Ghoste]

Since that sale is long over now, and as someone who was actually there, allow me to shed a little more light on it.  Lee kept everything in a dirt floor pole barn and most of what was in there was rusted to within the very last legs of its life.  The cars did not bring anywhere near the money that you may have thought they did.  Lee not only did not take care to ensure the future of the collection remaining intact, he also did virtually nothing to preserve it as it was.  Don't kid yourself, had the cars remained in the position they were, they were only a few more years from natural oblivion.

You can check the results for yourself here;

http://www.auctionsamerica.com/events/all-lots.cfm?SaleCode=LH11

[Aero426]

Sort of another topic, but I find it interesting that there is no shortage of people out there with significant collections of "stuff", essentially rotting away.     It is almost like the hoarding mentality (illness?) prevents one from seeing the big picture.    A person could sell part of the collection to fund restoration of other items, or better storage, or to fund a trust to keep it going, versus the decision to just keep a bunch of dead stuff.      

[hatersaurusrex]

Sort of another topic, but I find it interesting that there is no shortage of people out there with significant collections of "stuff", essentially rotting away.     It is almost like the hoarding mentality (illness?) prevents one from seeing the big picture.    A person could sell part of the collection to fund restoration of other items, or better storage, or to fund a trust to keep it going, versus the decision to just keep a bunch of dead stuff.      

I totally agree with what you guys are saying, I just didn't like the shifty tone of the guy talking... don't say you're excited to 'share with the world' when it's obvious you want to 'share the dollars'.   Nothing wrong with that either, just don't sugar coat it mid-sentence.

Speaking of hoarding, my ex's father was a pretty classic hoarder - a lot like this guy, thought most of the cars he had were goners sitting in the elements.   He had two houses, and between them probably 150 cars, trucks and a couple of buses.  Last I saw him several years ago, he still had a rust-free 67 hemi belvedere sitting under a tarp outside. To add insult to injury, in the one and only enclosed garage space he had there was a beat-down 4-door impala.   Priorities, man.

[Tilar]

I didn't realise the sale was over, I found it right before I left for work this morning so I posted it... Man, some of those motorcycles sold for more than the cars did.

[Ghoste]

Let me make this perfectly clear, the guy who did that video had and has never had anything to do with RM or Auctions America whatsoever.  Aboslutely none.  He had access to the property at the beginning of the sale and filmed the videos without the knowledge or consent of anyone within the RM organization. 

[hatersaurusrex]

Ahhh that makes sense then.

I'd say between the two cars that brought in 300K together, the auction went pretty OK though

[Mytur Binsdirti]

That stuff is long gone. They featured the barn and the auction on a couple of episodes of "Chasing Classic Cars" which aired a couple months ago.

[69finder]

The human mind loves order (even in disorder).  There's a reason why games like WOW are so popular.  Why the internet is so addictive and why people collect and 'hoard' stuff.  It's always about PLUS ONE.

Our minds are geared to progress and to increase, so this guy is basically like alot of other guys (can't say for women) and we want to collect, build, accumulate.  He did his job well.

On another note, was the announcer stroking Lee's Urn??

[Ghoste]

Yes, he actually was.

[TheAutoArchaeologist]

I knew Lee, he was a friend of mine.  He wanted his collection to stay together, but it was not meant to be.

Here are the pictures I shot at the Auction.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hemipwr70/sets/72157627951388233/

[Ghoste]

I spot myself in the background of a few of those photos, we were that close that many times and never met.  lol

[Indygenerallee]

In the end the guy with the most toys still dies!!! Ain't life a bitch!!! 

[69finder]

But we're talking about him, aren't we?  Technically I think he WINS!