Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - August 2008 - (Page 112)

SPECIAL FEATURE STORIES BONHAMS 2008 LEGENDS SALE Bonhams 2008 Legends Sale T his was the second year for the Bonhams’ Legends sale. Last year’s sale proved immensely successful. The auction was sandwiched in between many of the other Legends events. This year there were over 200 lots on offer. The highlights of which was the Mike Corbin motorcycle and memorabilia collection. Mike had decided to sell off everything, since his children expressed little interest in the items. The auction began with one hundred memorabilia lots .These ranged from posters to Jeff Decker bronzes. All were sold. This also attracted overseas bidding. Auctioneer Malcolm Barber would say as he went between floor and telephone buyers,”Euro is winning, now the dollar is back, now the Euro is winning again.”Running through that many lots takes time and often wears down the crowd. When the motorcycle sales were announced, applause broke out. Once again the battle of world currencies broke out. Some of the high points were a 1975 Ducati 750SS “Roundcase”selling for $117,000 including buyer’s premium which was 17%. This was a world record at auction but a reflection on the premium that is now being attached to these early Ducati twins. The outstanding quality of this unit was the fact that the paint was totally untouched. Early SS’s had a tendency for their paint to craze. Many could not tolerate this and had them repainted. Consequently few original “survivors”are extant. Another rarely seen commodity was a 1929 Harley Davidson JDH. This was the first of the “twin cams”. Bidding was spirited until a museum knocked it down and took it home 112 AUGUST for $67,860 out the door. These were considered among the first of the “hot” Harleys. With MV as the featured marque, some figured this was a good time to sell their MVs. An early 750S, resplendent in red, white, and blue was sold for $66,700 with all premiums attached. A Vincent Grey Flash (race) replica was sold out of the Corbin collection for $30,000 + 17% premium. Speaking of Vincents, a 1955 Black Knight was sold for $65,620 including premiums. Last year an Indian Crocker conversion was sold for over $90,000. This year one was sold for $64,350 including premium. Both had been built from scratch by Gwen Banquer. A sport Scout Indian with proven provenance to Steve McQueen netted $52,650 against an estimate of $60,000. On the other hand a Harley Davidson EL roared past its estimate of $38,000 to realize almost $50,000 by the time the premiums were paid. An Indian Four that had been restored years ago by Pete Bollenbach, was sold short of its estimate of $60,000 at $56,000. The auction went into overtime and began to conflict with other scheduled events. Some were even seen to get up and leave a dinner to come back and see if the item they were interested in was coming up. Malcolm Barber announced the sale as another success with almost 1.9 million realized by the end of the night 2008 I WALNECK’S CLASSIC CYCLE TRADER® I WALNECKS.COM http://WALNECKS.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - August 2008

Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - August 2008 Contents American Bench Racing w/Mark Zimmerman Motorcycle Tips w/Mike Brown 10 Pieces of Advice for the Newbie Motorcyclist Events, Listings & Advertisements The Buzz w/Buzz Walneck Your Guide to the VMD Mid Ohio Show Guide British 1966 Velocette 500 Thruxton 1954 Vincent Black Lightning Biker of the Month European Bonhams 2008 Legend Sale Legend of the Motorcycle Japanese Competition Motorbikes & Scooters Memorabilia Now...You Tell Me by Buzz Walneck Antique Cycle Clubs Parts, Accessories, Want Ads How to Place a Word Ad How to Place a Photo Ad Area Code Directory How to Subscribe Let Us Help with Your Event

Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - August 2008

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