on May 7th, 2006Steve McQueen Auction
I’ve always been amazed to find discarded family photos at tag sales. They’re usually just sitting in a box, abandoned. Whoever originally owned them either died and a dealer bought them at an estate sale, or somebody just felt they had no use for them and added them to the church fund raiser. If you’re a genealogist, you feel my pain.
Steve McQueen’s wife has decided to put up for auction items that feed into his legend status. I guess she feels compelled to leave her grandchildren some money or maybe she just needs the cash herself. Stuff is stuff after all.
It’s always fun to take a voyeuristic peek, though…
Steve McQueen Collection
Auction action at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles
Saturday 11th November 2006
Bonhams & Butterfields is honored to be appointed by Barbara McQueen Brunsvold to present for sale at auction hundreds of personal effects belonging to the utterly charismatic, much-loved and much-missed 20th Century icon Steve McQueen.
The sale, set to take place Saturday November 11th at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, will feature Steve McQueen’s personal collection including motorcycles, and motorcycle clothing including his Belstaff jacket and padded motorcycle sweatshirts.
The auction will also feature tinplate toys from the movie The Hunter together with guns, saddles, and other movie props from Tom Horn.
In addition to clothes and tinplate toys, the sale will feature a vast array of motoring memorabilia including enamel advertising signs, petrol pumps, and sale brochures many for Indian Motorcycles a marque that Steve adored so passionately.
Steve’s truck bearing the license plate number MCQ3188, a reference to the time he spent at the Junior Boys Republic Reform School in Chino as a teenager will be offered, as will a pair of his Persol foldaway sunglasses made famous by Steve in the movie The Thomas Crown Affair and in countless images in the many books about ‘The King of Cool’.
The personal effects offered at this sale have never previously been exhibited and therefore represent a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to own a part of the McQueen Legend.