Bidders seized the opportunity to snatch up a piece of pop culture prestige at a massive auction of vintage cars and ‘50s and ‘60s memorabilia held over the weekend.
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Not one of the 550 items that went under the hammer between Saturday morning and Sunday midday at Cameron Park’s Lost in the 50s museum were passed in.
Glen Jennings, the owner of the 9000-piece collection, was a man in two minds. He provided anecdotes and heartfelt appraisals of each of the items up for sale.
“I’ve spent 35 years of my life building up this collection, so there’s definitely some mixed emotions,” Mr Jennings said.
“But I couldn’t be happier with how the auction has gone so far. Everything’s been sold.”
Burns and Co auctioneers were still accepting bids for hot ticket items like a 1981 DeLorean and Batmobile replica when the Newcastle Herald visited the museum on Sunday afternoon.
Offers for the Back to the Future time machine had already eclipsed $100,000.
Bids for the 1960s Batmobile had reached $220,000.
A 1957 Desoto Fireflite, which sold for $48,500, and a 1949 Chevrolet Deluxe Coupe, $48,000, were just two of 90 vintage cars and motorbikes auctioned over the weekend.
Over 600 pieces of memorabilia were scheduled to be sold, with surfboards, a Marilyn Monroe statue, pushbikes and a “Wienermobile” among the bounty.
Three Coca Cola fridges were sold for more than $3000 each.
A 1957 Thunderbird Jukebox, built to look like the boot of a Ford Thunderbird, which Mr Jennings noted was a “favourite”, went for $7750.
A diner booth made from a 1961 Desoto car also fetched $6500.
Mr Jennings announced in May that he was “moving on” from the museum, which had been operating for six-and-a-half years.
He opened the collection to the general public for the last time on Friday.
All of the remaining items, bar a few of Mr Jennings’ favourites, will be sold to the highest bidders on November 30 and December 1 and 2.
