Once regarded as one of the foremost tourist attractions in the Southwest, the Pate Museum of Transportation officially comes to an end this weekend with the auctioning of the Pate Collection in Cresson, Texas.
RM Auctions is handling the sale, which will be held this Saturday, June 5, at the Museum.
The late Aggie Pate, former owner of the Texas Refinery Company, began collecting cars in the 1940s, eventually opening the Pate Museum of Transportation in 1969 in collaboration with his brother Sebert. In operation until 2009, the museum hosted the renowned annual Pate Swap Meet for many years.
Pate died in 1988 and the Museum remained opened until Christmas Eve of 2009. The Pate family made the decision to close due to declining donations and the need for expensive upgrades to maintain the admission-free museum.
Spanning over 100 years of automotive history, the diverse range of cars featured at the Museum included a variety of marques and eras such as some of Aggie's favorites - Packards and Cadillacs. The collection was a testament to "one Texan's devotion to all things mobile."
The auction will offer everything from horse-drawn wagons from the 1800s to a 1981 Delorean DMC-12 Coupe.
In linking to the Museum’s Texas roots, featured highlights include:
- The 1962 Checker Marathon Dallas Taxi Cab, believed to have been hailed by Lee Harvey Oswald immediately after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy;
- a one-off “Texas-size” 1938 Longhorn Custom Roadster, built over a 14 year
period by a local car enthusiast from Gonzalez, TX. The 'Longhorn' rides on
a 120-inch wheelbase and measures 19 feet, four inches in length. It has
numerous exciting features, including hand formed body panels and a 1941
Lincoln V12 under the hood; and,
- an early 1903 Cadillac Rear Entrance Tonneau, formerly part of the
renowned Amon Carter Collection in Fort Worth.
Additional auction highlights include:
- Series of wagons from the 1800s, from an 1800s Chuck Wagon to a Studebaker
Delivery Wagon and Horse-Drawn Petroleum Tanker
- a 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Boattail Tourer, made all the more rare by
its "EX" chassis number
- a 1934 Brewster Ford Town Car, featuring just 21,000 miles
- a rare 1935 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow V12
In addition to 43 motor cars from the Pate Collection, there will be over 170 lots of memorabilia and collectibles offered for sale at no reserve. The items include a selection ranging from magazines and transportation-related books to scale model ships, decorative objects and petroliana.
The Pate Museum is located at 18501 Hwy. 377 South, Cresson, Texas.
There will be a $20 admission fee, admitting one to the preview and auction. Bidder registration is $50 to admit two to the preview and auction.
The preview will be held Friday, June 4, from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. The auction will start at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Bidding can either be made in person, live via the internet, by phone or by absentee bid. Contact RM Auctions for details at 519-352-4575 or visit their website at www.rmauctions.com where there is also a complete listing.