Cars, motorcycles, watches, cameras and automobilia were among the several hundred items sold Monday at a single-owner collection auction in England, where the former possessions of Robert White generated nearly $4 million at a Bonhams auction for cancer-fighting charities on the south coast of England.
Robert White founded one of England’s largest photographic retailers and had become close friends with Jay Leno after selling the American entertainer and car collector a Brough Superior motorcycle. White died last year of cancer and instructed that his collection be sold to benefit the cancer centers at two British hospitals.
The top sale of the auction was a 1930 Bentley 4 1/2 liter tourer for
£315,100 ($411,472). A 1959 AC Ace-Bristol roadster brought £254,620 ($235,966). Prices include buyer’s premium.
A 1958 AC Ace roadster sold for at £180,700 ($235,966) and a 1931 Bugatti Type 51 re-creation by Pur Sang went for £124,700 ($162,839).
A 1951 Vincent 998cc Series C Black Shadow motorcycle sold for £82,140 ($107,262) as did a futuristically designed 1921 Megola 640cc touring model brought £82,140 ($106,556).
A 1931 “Hibou” glass mascot by Rene Lalique sold for £47,500 ($62,027).
An auction record was set for a George Daniels Anniversary model watch which sold for £224,500 ($293,162), doubling its pre-auction estimated value.
The auction had a 99 percent sell-through rate.
Debbie Fleming, chief executive of Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We’re so grateful to Robert for his immense gift, which will be of benefit to patients for years to come,” Debbie Fleming, chief executive of Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said in a news release.
“Robert curated a fantastic collection, with beautiful items desired by collectors around the world, so it’s of no surprise that the sale has done so well,” responded Ben Walker, Bonhams’ motorcycle division director and director of the White sale.
Funds from the sale have been earmarked for new cancer treatment radiotherapy facilities at Dorset County Hospital, new computerized tomography (CT) scanner for Poole Hospital, a permanent positron emission tomography (PET) scanner at Poole Hospital, and for staff education and training to remain at the cutting edge of best practice.
Bonhams is conducting a public tender sale of the Willi Balz Collection through September 27. It’s new live auction is its Preserving the Automobile sale October 3 at the Simeone Foundation Automobile Museum in Philadelphia.
