I try to ignore the ads in magazines. But I just noticed an ad in the July/August South Dakota Magazine for an upcoming Spearfish event that's getting a lot of attention from car enthusiasts nationwide.
Les Schuchardt, an old miner from Spearfish, and his wife Delores have spent a lifetime collecting old cars—really old cars. A 1904 Ford Model AC brass car. A 1900 Mobile Model 3 steam-powered car. A 1908 Columbia Mark LXX Victoria Phaeton electric car. A 1912 Model T Depression-era refit truck right out of The Grapes of Wrath. Among their dozens of cars, the Schuchardts also have a 1913 Harley Davidson motorcycle. 1913... almost 100 years old.
But the Schuchardts are getting old, and they need to hire some live-in help so they can stay in their home together. The Schuchardts will thus sell this entire collection of cars, motorcycle, and spare parts at auction Saturday, September 15. Billed as "The Schuchardts' Last Car Show," the auction will happen just up the hill from the Schuchardts' house, at the Passion Play Grounds.
I biked by their house one day, down by the creek across from the City Park, and caught just a glimpse of a handful of Les and Delores's old cars. I'm not a car guy, but I could tell just from that fleeting look that these folks have some real treasures. If you'd like to see these treasures all in one place, this auction will be your last chance. The auction includes a preview the day before, Friday, September 14th, at 11 a.m., followed by a social event at 5 p.m. (both, I'm assuming, at the Passion Play parking lot as well) where you can ask Les questions about his collection... or just walk up, shake his hand, and say, "Wow, Les, that's a heck of a collection." The Schuchardts have hosted car shows at their house before; they'll likely enjoy seeing lots of people at one last big hurrah for their life's passion.
By the way, as of this writing, the high bid for the 1913 Harley on VanDerBrink's online auction service is $17,000. The 1908 Columbia electric is at $1,400.
This gentleman has - no exaggeration here - a million dollar collection. There will be people from all over the US and from a number of foreign countries bidding on these cars. Many will end up in museums where they belong. If economic development leaders in Spearfish had been smart they would have bought the whole collection (or worked out a deal of some sort) and put up a museum right along I-90. This is a huge missed opportunity for Spearfish and for South Dakota.