September is harvest time in Midwest farm country. Corn and beans are ready to be picked, and fields cleaned. So who would have thought that over 60 classic cars would have been harvested at the same time on a family farm in northcentral Iowa? The Rich Penn auction crew did. It was a project that had been in the works since last January. The majority of cars came from the collection of the late Daryl Hemken from Williams, Iowa.
The Hemken Auto Collection Museum was a 60-year love affair for Hemken. With both Daryl and his wife, Ann, gone, the family decided to liquidate the museum. The sale was held on the family property on Sept. 17 and 18. This small town is midway between Minneapolis and Des Moines. Online bidders registered on LiveAuctioneers and Proxibid from 20 countries. Winning bidders were having cars shipped to Canada, the U.K., Poland, Cyprus, and South Korea.
Hemken’s first car acquired for the collection was a 1914 Model T Ford Roadster, which he bought in 1957. It was Lot #1 and realized $14,300. Prices reported include a buyer’s premium. A 1969 Corvette L88 with matching numbers, only 116 built, was the headliner. With 24,300 miles, it sold for $440,000. A 1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 four-door Phaeton in overall excellent running condition realized $59,400. A 1948 Cadillac Convertible, also in running condition, sold for $23,100.
The Hemken collection also included petroliana, gas pumps, signs, bicycles, literature, toys and thousands of parts for the mid-century classics. Most of the parts were sold on day one to onsite buyers only. Rich Penn’s auctioneers, Fred VanMetre and J.J. Wise, walked through hay rack after hay rack lined up with fenders, bumpers, hubcaps, engine parts, new old stock trim and auto electronics. Thousands of parts were sorted and organized by two college interns from McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas, the only college in the U.S. that offers a bachelor’s degree in Auto Restoration. The two students, Spencer Ice and Jimmy Pawlak, spent weeks excavating the museum and the Hemken farm outbuildings. Their goal was identifying and organizing the parts.
Everything sold without reserve. Day two started with some of the 250 lots of petroliana, signs, and toys. A Packard grill for 1950-53 models went for $247. A merchandising display with color overlay for late 1950s Buicks sold for $600. A whimsical folk art model of a 1920s Texaco service station, complete with miniature visible pumps, went to a new service location for $440. The bench top AC spark plug cleaner, with great graphics, ignited bids to sell for $605. A metal Ford battery display sold for $1,440. A 1950s group of four hood ornaments, including Ford and others, sold for $770. Another 1950s group of four hood ornaments for Pontiacs sailed away at $1,540.
A Packard convertible, 1954 series 5479, purchased by Hemken in 1968, one of only 863 built, the following year Packard merged with Studebaker, still in running condition, brought $10,455 to a buyer in Pennsylvania. Convertibles were a favorite of Hemken, especially the Packards. A 1953 Packard Caribbean convertible, non-running, commanded $14,400 from a Michigan bidder.
Perhaps the most unusual of all the cars was a 1927 Model A Ford “Snowbird.” This Model A, without the body, had the “Snowbird” kit with sleigh runners for the front wheels and a second rear axle with metal treads that tracked on the rear “Duallys.” It was made for driving in heavy snow. This Snowbird originally belonged to a Postman in Blairsburg, Iowa. The buyer paid $26,400 to have it shipped to the island of Cyprus, in the Mediterranean sea. And yes, in the mountainous regions, Cyprus gets snow.
From 1967 to 1969, Chevrolet produced a special class of Corvettes designed and built for racers. With Zora Arkus-Duntov, director of GM's Performance Division, shepherding the 427 ci engine dynamics, the Corvette L88's became the “Holy Grail” cars of the Corvette line. With a “sticker” rating of 430 HP, they actually dyno tested at over 500 HP. Total production for the three years was 216. The triple black L88 (black paint, interior and top) was a 1969, the last year of L88 production. There were 116 were built in 1969. Restored, with matching numbers, and mentioned earlier in this review, it sold for $440,000.
A rare 1950 Studebaker Champion convertible with the classic “Spinner” bullet nose sold at $13,200, as did a 1955 Studebaker President Speedster. This Studebaker was only made for one year, 1955. Rare Packards were also sold. A 1958 Packard Hawk, sharing a lot of parts that came with their merger with Studebaker, sold to a St. Louis buyer at $15,600. This signified the ending of a magnificant legacy of classic cars, as 1958 was the final year for Packard auto production.
One of those Packards went to a very special buyer, Spencer Ice, one of the two interns from McPherson College. Shortly after arriving in Iowa, he set his eyes on a 1956 Packard Patrician. He was the one who drove it across the block and was bidding through the driver side window. The crowd exploded with applause when Spencer won the car for $4,950.
Classics from the 1940s and ’50s rolled through one after another. A 1948 Lincoln Continental two-door Cabriolet, with rebuilt V-12 flathead and push-button doors, went for $21,600 to a buyer from Palm Beach, Fla. The top selling 1940s convertible was a restored 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster. An AACA First Junior and Senior award winner in 2008, a California bidder bought it at $64,800. A 1950 Mercedes 170S Cabriolet B. Super rare, with only 20 having been made, largely original, sold for $30,000, going to a buyer in Poland.
The Rich Penn auction crew was still busy assisting buyers until the sun was setting behind the tall corn. “This was quite the auction. A good old-fashioned farm auction, cornfields, straw bales and a lot of well integrated high tech. By every measure, it was a great success,” summed up Penn.
“We had a great on-site crowd. They were very serious about buying. And there was very strong online activity. That combination means rock solid prices,” continued Penn. “We've had a lot of interest in another car auction in 2022. Some nice cars are already commited. So, we're looking at possible dates.”
Penn's next auction is scheduled for May 13, 14, and 15. It will feature Advertising, Petroliana, Coca-Cola, Coin-Operated Machines, Pressed Steel and Windup Toys and a mix of Country Store items.
For additional information, call Rich Penn Auctions at 319-291-6688 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST.