RM’s Hershey Auction: A Sampling

Not much changed at Hershey this year. The countless volunteers of the Hershey Region of the AACA – and their tireless hours of effort – have the week long event running pretty much like a Swiss watch (at least on the surface). But for those who got use to popping on over to the Giant Center to take in a little auction action on the event grounds, it was a different story. The Giant Center became the site for the judge’s breakfast on Saturday morning, with nothing else on the docket prior. However, a short drive across town was RM Auctions’ annual “Vintage Motor Cars of Hersey” auction at the Hershey Lodge.

Associate editor David LaChance and I did our due diligence to cover the happenings at the two-day event, the first of which was devoted strictly to all things automobilia. While LaChance spent time examining the non-domestic scene for an upcoming issue of Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car, I scoped out the area for coverage in our January 2010 issue of Hemmings Motor News. At the end of the day, I was left with one extra car that, as you’ll discover up receiving your aforementioned January issue, didn’t get a write-up.

Lot 673: A 1953 Ford Crestline Victoria that was offered at no reserve. In the final year for the famed Flathead, Ford produced 128,302 examples of this top-of-the-line model, all of which were offered with the 239-cu.in. V-8. Essentially, these were ‘52 bodies updated with new trim and a redesigned suspension below. As for the particulars here, it was restored at an undisclosed time by the seller, who obtained it from the original owner when 73,000 were showing; a little over 76,000 was on the odometer at the time of the auction.

There were a few minor bones to pick. The left mirror was pitted, the left door trim was dinged, the horn ring was pitted and the hood didn’t fit entirely well, which was really apparent at the left rear corner (at the base of the windshield). With a little effort, all were easily correctable, capable of elevating its status from a condition #2- to a strong two or low one. Though the engine was not exposed for all to see, the blue cloth/leather combo interior was stunning and the paint was pretty much blemish free.

RM listed a pre-auction estimate of $20,000 to $30,000, the low end of which was close to the average selling price estimate of $18,000 (condition #2-) that we came up with. It sold for a low $16,500 (including a 10 percent buyer’s premium), a figure that likely didn’t cover the paint and plating bill.