The Amelia Island auctions are a little over two weeks away.
There will be hundreds of cars to bid on, but only one auction will have more than a few pieces of automobilia on offer.
Bonhams, as of this writing, is offering 31 lots of automobilia/gimmicks on Florida’s northernmost island. There are packages of tickets to the Quail, Monterey pre-reunion races at Laguna Seca, auto transport across the country, some provocative mascots and many other doo-dads, including legitimate Ferrari and Indy race car parts.
The lots that caught my eye, however, were four Steve McQueen pieces.
Folks regularly pay 10 to 100 times the value of a thing because a McQueen had something to do with it — be it actual ownership or wearing it for a scene in a movie. Those sunglasses, the 911 Porsche and, most recently, the “Bullitt” Mustang are part of this McQueen factor.
Here’s your chance to join the party.
At Bonhams Amelia Island, Lots 21–24 are an original study of McQueen by Bill Bridges (formerly property of McQueen) and three “The Thomas Crown Affair” pieces: a signed Original Motion Picture Score record, a signed film poster, and a Nicholas Hunziker print that served as event artwork for the 2014 The Friends of Steve McQueen Car & Motorcycle Show.
Estimates for each vary, but all are above $1,000 on the low end.
Oh, and if you’re after something larger than carry-on size, you can get the Meyers Manx buggy from “The Thomas Crown Affair” later on at the sale to round out any McQueen collection.
It won’t cost you $2 million (Bonhams’ estimate: $400k–$600k), so there’s no reason to knock off a bank beforehand.