Auction Circuit Secret: Classic Pickups Are Still Affordable - PickupTrucks.com
While many would-be buyers focused on one-of Ferraris that went unsold at $23,000,000, there is a part of the collector car universe that is still affordable: classic pickup trucks. These trucks, to me anyway, fall into three distinct categories: pre-World War II trucks that have been restored to a high standard or are in original condition, post-WW II trucks in original or restored condition (mostly Chevrolets) and modified... Unlike the exotica that populate the high-end collector-car marketplace, you don't see many "barn finds" in the classic truck categories. Such trucks, if they were used on a real farm, were usually used until they would run no more and were left to rot in the fields. In the classic pickup marketplace one auction house dominates: Mecum Auctions. When you see pickups at other auctions like RM, Gooding & Co. and Bonhams, they are rare, usually prewar, pickups that end up selling for far more than mere mortal enthusiast collectors can afford. You will occasionally see an interesting postwar pickup at Russo and Steele, but it's usually a modified big-block truck owing to Russo and Steele's muscle-car roots. When you look at what Mecum Auctions sold in Monterey in August, you can see that early 1950s Chevrolet trucks, especially those in restored condition, sold well. Source: news.pickuptrucks.com
