Mecum Auctions
IndustryAuctioneering
Founded1988
FoundersDana Mecum
Headquarters
Walworth, Wisconsin
,
United States
Area served
United States
Key people
Dana Mecum (president)
Dave Magers (CEO)
ServicesCollector car auctions
OwnerMecum family
Websitewww.mecum.com

Mecum Auctions is an American auction company specializing in collector cars. It was founded by Dana Mecum in 1988, and was originally based in Marengo, Illinois. Since 2011, it has been headquartered in Walworth, Wisconsin. The company hosts various auction events across the United States. Television coverage began in 2008, contributing to the popularity of the events.

History

Mecum Auctions was founded in 1988 by Dana Mecum,[1] a car enthusiast whose father operated a dealership in Marengo, Illinois.[2][3] Dana Mecum initially bought 40 semi-trailer trucks in the 1980s, and traded 10 of them for four houses which he rented out. According to him, "The tenants started calling me in the middle of the night to fix this and that. So I went back to the guy I traded the trucks to and gave him his houses back and told him he could keep the trucks. He said, 'You know, you're going to lose a lot of money,' and I said, 'Yeah, but I'm going to get a lot of sleep'". Mecum subsequently traded his remaining trucks to a North Carolina man in exchange for 40 collector cars; these, in addition to his own collection of 15 cars, prompted him to hold an auto auction.[3]

The company's first auction was held in Rockford, Illinois in 1988. It was intended as a one-time event, but was derailed by 90-mile-per-hour winds, followed by lawsuits from dissatisfied attendees. This prompted Mecum to hold another auction the following year.[3][4][5] He would go on to continue the auctions for 14 years before finally turning a profit. During that time, he was approached by a prospective buyer who eventually declined the $500,000 sale price, which represented the amount of debt Mecum owed.[3] The company auctioned its 50,000th vehicle in 2008.[6] Mecum Auctions was headquartered in Marengo for years,[7][6] before relocating to Walworth, Wisconsin in 2011.[8] It is one of the area's top employers,[9] with more than 300 workers.[3]

Since 2013,[10][11] Mecum Auctions has been overseen by chief executive officer Dave Magers, who formerly served as chief financial officer of Country Financial.[12][13][3] Dana Mecum had previously overseen the company himself: "I was a control freak, and around 1999 I got sick and had to let go and let other people do things. That was part of how I got sick: I was trying to do everything". Mecum remains involved in the business as president, operating it with help from his wife and their four sons,[3] including Frank Mecum as consignment director.[14] A new trucking division, Mecum Auto Transport, was established in 2017. It provides transportation, via semi-trailers, for consigned and sold vehicles.[15]

Auction overview

Mecum's auctions attract a varied clientele,[16] including a large number of non-bidding spectators, who make up approximately 90 percent of attendees.[3] Events receive anywhere from 20,000 to 100,000 attendees.[9]

The inaugural auction event, known as the Rockford Spring Classic, was held at the Greater Rockford Airport in 1988. During the next two years, it was held at the Metro Center, also in Rockford. In 1991,[17] the event relocated to the Boone County fairgrounds in Belvidere, Illinois. Despite the location change, the event retained the Rockford name.[18][19][20] Auctions in Belvidere typically attracted 12,000 to 15,000 people.[21]

In 1996, Mecum added premier auctions, offering vehicles of a higher quality and attracting approximately 1,000 people to each event.[21][22] By that point, Mecum also hosted an annual Chevrolet auction in Grayslake, Illinois. It was one of the largest Chevy-focused auction events in North America.[23] In addition, the company also hosted Bloomington Gold, a Corvette-focused event held each June in Bloomington, Illinois.[24] Mecum purchased the rights to the show in the 1990s,[17] before selling them in 2012.[25][26] Mecum announced two years later that it would no longer participate in the event due to diminishing interest. By that point, many of Mecum's regional auctions now offered Corvettes, attracting local buyers who had since found the Bloomington location to be less convenient. Sales for the 2013 event had reached only $1.8 million, down from a high of $7.7 million in 2008.[27][28]

The 2015 Kissimmee event, representing a typical Mecum auction.
Vehicles on display at Mecum's 2013 Monterey auction

As of 2016, Mecum auctions 15,000 vehicles annually, ranging from muscle cars to pre-World War I vehicles, with annual sales of $300 million.[29][30] The company specializes in muscle cars from the 1950s to 1970s.[31] By 2017, the company had added separate auction events dealing solely with motorcycles and farmer tractors respectively. It also added road art to its main auctions.[3] As of 2017, the company hosts 14 annual events across the U.S., including a $100 million, 10-day main event each January in Kissimmee, Florida.[3][32][33] It is Mecum's largest annual auction,[34][35] growing considerably from the company's first Florida event, held in 2002.[33]

Other auction locations have included Anaheim, California,[36] Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,[37] Indianapolis, Indiana,[38] Las Vegas, Nevada,[39][40][41] and Monterey, California.[42][43] The events are overseen by a traveling team of 200 workers,[3] and the vehicles often have a history related to the region where they are being auctioned.[4][41] Some vehicles are auctioned to raise money for charities, such as the last Mitsubishi Eclipse ever manufactured (2011).[44]

During the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, Mecum revamped its online bidding system and added livestream footage of auction events. Online bidding saw a marked increase following the redesign, which also contributed to a rise in revenue, with a record $675 million brought in during 2021.[9]

Television coverage

Television coverage of the auctions began in 2008,[45] around the start of the Great Recession. Up to that time, approximately 90 percent of Mecum's buyers were car dealers who would resell the vehicles after auction. Many of the dealers went out of business due to the recession, and the remainder would become sellers at Mecum auctions. The television coverage produced a large number of buyers who were end consumers, as opposed to dealers. According to Dana Mecum, "Without TV, not only would we not have grown, we might not have survived".[3]

The auctions were originally broadcast on Discovery HD, which became Velocity in 2011. NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) took over coverage in 2014, and viewership saw an increase of more than 500 percent.[29][3][31] As of 2017, the auctions attracted more viewers for the network than any other event with the exception of Premier League football.[3] NBCSN ceased operations in December 2021, and Motor Trend took over coverage the following month.[46]

Mecum Dealmakers, a television program chronicling the auction preparations and management, also aired on NBCSN from 2014 to 2015.[47]

Notable sales

VehicleSale priceAuction detailsNotes
1908 Strap Tank Harley-Davidson $935,000 Las Vegas, 2023 Among 12 in the world, and one of the earliest models manufactured by Harley-Davidson. It is the most expensive motorcycle ever auctioned.[48][49]
1953 Hirohata Merc $1.95 million Kissimmee, 2022 A custom car that originated as a 1951 Mercury Eight.[50][51]
1963 Chevrolet Corvette $1.5 million Schaumburg, 2013 A customized vehicle once owned by General Motors executive Harley Earl.[52][53][54]
1963 Pontiac Catalina $530,000 Indianapolis, 2014 One of 14 built by Pontiac for drag racing.[55]
1964 Ford GT40 prototype $7 million Houston, 2014 Among the most expensive vehicles ever auctioned by Mecum.[3][56]
1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra coupe $7.25 million Monterey, 2009 Most expensive vehicle ever auctioned by Mecum.[3][57]
1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback $3.74 million Kissimmee, 2020 Driven by actor Steve McQueen during a chase in the 1968 film Bullitt. Most expensive Mustang ever auctioned.[58][59][60]
1976 Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera $1.95 million Monterey, 2015 Once owned by actor Steve McQueen.[3][61]
1979 Porsche 930 Turbo $324,500 Schaumburg, 2018 Once owned by football player Walter Payton. One of 1,200 such models produced for the U.S. market in 1979.[62]
2004 Ford Shelby Cobra Concept $2.6 million Monterey, 2021 One-of-a-kind concept car by Ford Motor Company.[63]

References

  1. ↑ Burrows, Kenda (January 25, 2022). "More to Mecum Auctions' Quad Cities story". Quad Cities Business Journal. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  2. ↑ Shaw, Kristin V. (December 5, 2020). "Mecum Auctions Survived 2020 Thanks to Big Changes and a Little Luck". The Drive. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Huber, Mark (November 2017). "Mecum Auctions' Dana Mecum". Business Jet Traveler. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Duffer, Robert (October 10, 2014). "Collector car auction driving big business". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  5. ↑ Edsall, Larry (May 23, 2012). "Mecum auctions still challenge classic big boys – Joyrides – The Detroit News". Detroit News. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Phillips, Drew (March 24, 2009). "Like Chevrolet Chevelles? Mecum Auctions has a deal for you!". Autoblog. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Spring must be here as auctions abound". Northwest Herald. March 26, 1993. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Popular Mecum Auctions returns to area". Daily Herald. September 26, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2023. In 2011, the company moved to its present headquarters in Walworth, Wisconsin.
  9. 1 2 3 Jr, Tom Huddleston (October 4, 2022). "This 34-year-old family-owned car auction brought in a record $675 million last year—by finally embracing the internet". CNBC. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  10. ↑ "CFO at Country to retire". The Pantagraph. October 3, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Edsall, Larry (January 9, 2018). "At Mecum, the heart of the collector car market beats strongly". ClassicCars.com Journal. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Retired life of a 'driven' man". The Pantagraph. September 6, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Retired life of a 'driven' man (page 2)". The Pantagraph. September 6, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Trace, Tom (January 2, 2019). "Frank Mecum shares his view from the auction block". ClassicCars.com Journal. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  15. ↑ Golfen, Bob (June 14, 2017). "Bringing it home: Mecum adds trucking to its auction business". ClassicCars.com Journal. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  16. ↑ Hilkevitch, Jon (May 17, 2009). "Vintage vehicles cruise along". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  17. 1 2 "Collector cars cross block at big auction in Belvidere". Northwest Herald. May 18, 2001. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Classy cars". Northwest Herald. May 22, 1998. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Auction corrals old wooden wagons". Northwest Herald. May 24, 1996. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Tall Texan invited to conduct auction". Northwest Herald. May 20, 1994. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. 1 2 "Auctioneer lands at horse track to sell automobiles". Northwest Herald. October 24, 1997. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ "Mecum moves into new auction home". Northwest Herald. October 26, 2001. Retrieved March 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ Retrieved March 28, 2023:
  24. ↑ Retrieved March 29, 2023:
  25. ↑ "Bloomington Gold has new leadership". Old Cars Weekly. February 17, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  26. ↑ Strohl, Daniel (May 28, 2014). "Mecum cancels Bloomington Gold all-Corvette auction". Hemmings. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  27. ↑ Golfen, Bob (May 29, 2014). "Mecum cancels Bloomington Gold Corvette auction". ClassicCars.com Journal. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  28. ↑ Piff, Tony (May 23, 2014). "Mecum Cancels Bloomington Gold Auction". Sports Car Market. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  29. 1 2 Duffer, Robert (October 9, 2015). "Mecum classic car auction rolls into Chicago". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  30. ↑ Duffer, Robert (October 6, 2016). "Mecum Auctions hammers Chicago connection with Blackhawks Day, Pippen Porsche". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  31. 1 2 "Auction of 600-plus classic cars this weekend". Austin American-Statesman. December 12, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ↑ Woodyard, Chris (January 9, 2016). "Million-dollar muscle cars coming to Mecum's Florida auction". USA Today. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  33. 1 2 Condran, Ed (January 5, 2017). "Mecum Auctions: The world's largest collector-car auction drops by Kissimmee". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  34. ↑ "Kissimmee auction is Mecum's 'Daytona'". Orlando Sentinel. January 18, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ↑ Kozak, Graham (October 17, 2018). "We went to check out a collector car mega auction (and ended up winning a car)". Autoweek. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  36. ↑ Hennigan, W. J. (November 15, 2012). "Hundreds of classic cars to hit the auction block in Anaheim". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  37. ↑ Merriman, Kate (July 28, 2022). "Take a look at the 'nerve center' of Mecum Auctions in Harrisburg". WGAL. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  38. ↑ Silcox, Harrison (May 13, 2022). "Mecum Auctions Returns to Indianapolis". WIBC. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  39. ↑ Stapleton, Susan (December 31, 2014). "750-plus antique motorcycles go up for auction at South Point in January". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  40. ↑ Jones, Jay (January 20, 2017). "You can bid on a bike once owned by Steve McQueen, the King of Cool, at this Vegas motorcycle auction". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  41. 1 2 Hemmersmeier, Sean (November 10, 2022). "Classic cars take over Las Vegas for auction". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  42. ↑ Chavez, Steve (August 17, 2017). "Mecum on Wednesday: Photos from a Monterey auction". Autoweek. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  43. ↑ Koscs, Jim (July 1, 2021). "At Monterey Car Week, the Sheet Metal Shines". The New York Times. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  44. ↑ Bowman, Zach (September 2, 2011). "Mecum to auction final Mitsubishi Eclipse for charity". Autoblog. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  45. ↑ "Mecum Relocates Auction to Indianapolis for TV Series". Old Cars Weekly. January 15, 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  46. ↑ "MotorTrend Group and Mecum Auction, Inc. Create a Multi-Year Strategic Partnership to Deliver Exclusive, Live Coverage of All Mecum Auctions". Mecum. October 28, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  47. ↑ Lingeman, Jake (July 28, 2014). "'Mecum Dealmakers' premieres July 31". Autoweek. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  48. ↑ "Harley-Davidson from 1908 becomes priciest bike at auction". Associated Press. February 11, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  49. ↑ Salgado, Beck Andrew (February 10, 2023). "1908 Harley becomes the most expensive motorcycle ever sold at auction; fetches nearly $1 million". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  50. ↑ Berk, Brett (January 6, 2022). "A Custom Mercury, With a Batmobile in Its Family Tree, Heads to Auction". The New York Times. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  51. ↑ Berk, Brett (January 17, 2022). "Custom 1951 Mercury Sells at Auction for $1.95 Million". The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  52. ↑ "Harley Earl's personal Corvette going up for auction". Autoblog. September 26, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  53. ↑ Undercoffler, David (September 26, 2013). "Rare 1963 Corvette once owned by famed GM designer heads to auction". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  54. ↑ Ernst, Kurt (December 13, 2018). "A pair of Corvette Styling Cars, driven by Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell, head to auction as a single lot in Florida". Hemmings. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  55. ↑ Woodyard, Chris (May 28, 2014). "Why a 1963 Pontiac fetched $530,000 at auction". USA Today. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  56. ↑ Doell, Zach (April 15, 2014). "1964 Ford GT40 Sells for an Unbelievable $7 Million". Complex. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  57. ↑ Holmes, Jake (August 17, 2009). "1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe Auctioned for $7.25M". Car and Driver. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  58. ↑ Garrett, Jerry (January 2, 2020). "Mustang From Famed 'Bullitt' Car Chase Heads to Auction". The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  59. ↑ Garrett, Jerry (January 12, 2020). "'Mona Lisa of Mustangs,' Raced in 'Bullitt,' Sets Auction Record". The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  60. ↑ Howard, Phoebe Wall (January 14, 2020). "Mystery surrounds $3.74M sale of 1968 Mustang Bullitt: 'Only one person knows' buyer". USA Today. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  61. ↑ Ramey, Jay (August 17, 2015). "Steve McQueen's Porsche 911 Turbo just sold for $1.95 million". Autoweek. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  62. ↑ Knowles, Joe (October 29, 2018). "Walter Payton's Porsche sells for $324,500 at auction". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  63. ↑ Gastelu, Gary (August 15, 2021). "One of a kind Ford Shelby Cobra Concept sold for $2,640,000". Fox News. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
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