Mecum Vegas Auction Follow-Up

Gareth of Double Six has written a follow-up of his Mecum Vegas Auction Preview

The dust and glitter has settled from the madness that is the Mecum Auction in Vegas. 2023 was set to be a difficult auction with the global world in a recession and talk that the 'Covid price bubble' had burst. Would we see prices down on expected?

The quick answer for this is hell no. In fact, the highest priced bike at auction went through on the last day for a record breaking $935,000 (inc fees). A 1908 Harley Davidson Strap tank. This now holds the world record for the most expensive bike at auction ever!

The auction itself is held at the South Point Casino, It’s a super slick operation where buying a motorbike is scarily easy. Mecum even have onsite shipping to ports available. The auction is held in a giant ring with a stage in the centre. Two additional halls are filled with row upon row upon row of bikes waiting patiently to take the stage. The sheer number of machines is overwhelming. I found myself walking past bikes in any other situation I would be stopping at taking photos off.

Below are the selling prices of bikes I covered in the preview article:

Mike Wolfe's Harley KR750- $29,700

1974 XR750 $31,900

Wood Rotax $17,600

Honda CR500 $13,200

Staracer $4,400

Honda S50 - $11,500

The bikes achieved a mix of results, but on a whole very positive. The KR750, XR750 and Wood Rotax are where I thought they should finish. The CR500 and Z50 achieved really strong numbers, but not surprising. CR500s have cemented their place in the classic/iconic circle now. The Staracer still stands out as a great priced bike, in person it looked as good as the pictures. Some bikes were not as good as the pictures made out.

On the last day I was in attendance my dad and I spotted this Vespa heading to the stage. We hadn’t seen this in the programme, as it was a very late addition. As the auction started my Dad asked, 'Should I?' and next thing I know he had his arm in the air. A little back and forth and he had just purchased a 1979 1000-mile from new Vespa.

After the auction we inspect it for the first time, was it worth the gamble? Luckily it looked just as good up close as it did under the lights and on the jumbo screen.

The sheer scale of the Vegas auction means it should be on your to do list. I am hoping to go again but next time with deeper pockets. #HarleyDavidson #XR750 #WoodRotax #Auction #Staracer #doublesix #Honda #minibike