Crowd at the auction
photo by John Shearer
1951 Hudson went for $85,000
photo by John Shearer
1963 Lincoln Continental went for $37,500
photo by John Shearer
1941 Lincoln Continental coupe was sold for $46,000
photo by John Shearer
1951 Studebaker, in front, sold for $17,000, the cheapest among the Baker cars
photo by John Shearer
The late Senator Baker’s beloved 1962 Ford Galaxie sold for $31,000
photo by John Shearer
Unusual 1937 Cord sold for $69,000
photo by John Shearer
Saturday morning at the Howard Baker Center by the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, several dozen people were gathered in one room coming to agreements in a manner that the late U.S. senator would have admired.
But this group was talking cars, not politics.
As part of the settling of the late Senator Baker’s estate, the Furrow Auction Co. was auctioning off six vintage automobiles collected over the years by the former Senate majority leader and White House chief of staff.
When all the shouting and hand waving were completed in just a little over a half hour, some $285,500 had been raised for the center from the sales.
The last automobile auctioned off – a 1951 Hudson Hornet Convertible – brought the highest purchase prize, $85,000.
Among the other five, a 1951 Studebaker went for $17,000, a 1962 Ford Galaxie that Senator Baker drove often went for $31,000, a 1963 Lincoln Continental Convertible sold for $37,500, a 1941 Lincoln Continental two-door coupe went for $46,000, and a 1937 Cord 812 Beverly Custom auctioned for $69,000.
Auction organizers did not announce who bought the cars, but it is known Knoxville construction firm official Gerry Eastman bought the Ford Galaxie and the Cord.
He said afterward that he was simply a car collector and did not buy them due to any extra interest in the late senator, who died on June 26, 2014, at the age of 88 and had attended McCallie School as a boarding student from 1941-43.
Purchasers had to pay additional fees to the auction company.
A crowd of about 125-150 people from seemingly diverse walks of life gathered in the indoor assembly room at the center for the 11 a.m. event.
The Cord was on display in a tent in front of the entrance area to the center alongside Cumberland Avenue for pre-auction viewing, while the other five were under another tent on the east side of the center.
Jcshearer2@comcast.net