Bonhams Simeone Museum 2017

The Bonhams Simeone Museum 2017 auction was held Monday, October 2nd at the Simeone Automotive Museum in Philadelphia, resulting in total sales of nearly $4 million. Bonhams’ sixth annual ‘Preserving the Automobile’ sale blew past numerous low estimates for multiple lots, saw automobilia 100 percent sold and achieved 86 percent sell-through rate for automobiles.

The top result at the Bonhams Simeone Museum 2017 auction went to the 1913 Rolls-Royce ‘London-to-Edinburgh’ Silver Ghost that sold for $1,001,000 after robust bidding. The 1924 Bentley 3-Liter Speed Model was bought for $200,000, while the original, two owners-from-new 1913 Stevens-Duryea Model C6 5-Passenger Tourer made $170,500.

Following suit, the preserved 1910 Regal Underslung Model N Roadster was the focus of a bidding war that resulted in a price of $165,000, and the scarce 1937 Mercedes-Benz 230N Roadster ‘project car’ from decades in the same ownership exceeded its high estimate to sell at $149,600.

“It is always a pleasure to work with the renowned Simeone Foundation Automobile Museum in Philadelphia,” said Greg Porter, Bonhams Motoring Specialist and this year’s auction lead. “The 2017 sale produced a result twice that of the previous year with some results that can only be established at an auction. Rare and original condition cars, particularly those from longstanding named collections, brought the most interest while the early license plates blew away our expectations.”

As for automobilia, sales were strong with numerous lots soaring past their low estimates. The collection of early license plates from noted car collector Joel L. Finn was 100 percent sold, doubling its pre-sale estimate with many highlights. Specifically, the unique collection of Connecticut ‘number 1’ plates made $72,500 and a rare 1905 Vermont plate made 10 times its estimate to sell for $10,000.

Bonhams Simeone 2017 – Top Five Auction Results