heads up: for sale! Incredible WW2 auction in France

[scotty71]

Incredible WW2 military vehicle / memorabilia auction in France ex - museum in September online auction.

 

http://www.artcurial.com/en/asp/searchresults.asp?pg=1&ps=18&st=D&sale_no=3114+++

Edited May 26, 2018 by scotty71

[Great War truck]

That is the Normandy tank museum at Carentan. Is it closing or just having a clear out?

[Pzkpfw-e]

Looking at what's for sale, I'd say it's closing.:embarrassed:

I've a vague memory of mention being made, that it was too far from the Normandy beaches to survive.

[Great War truck]

Here is the story. Hard times, local opposition and a planned early retirement:

 

https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2016/08/01/a-collection-nearly-40-years-in-the-making-the-contents-of-the-normandy-tank-museum-head-to-auction/

 

With the exchange rate what it is I do not see much of this coming to the UK.

[draganm]

wow, what a tremendous loss to have all those things scattered. Can you imagine how many thousands of hours were spent gathering all those small things and setting them up in dioramas? I've never seen that anywhere before to that extent, where every vehicle and display wasn't just sitting there but painstakingly built up to give you a little glimpse of what the soldiers saw. My goodness there's even walls and parts of buildings

 

Hopefully the bulk of it will go to a single collector who can re-create some of it (small chance I know)

 

Looks like the PzIV is already gone too?

[Maurice]

the PZ IV was on loan.

[Starfire]

An impressive collection and well displayed too, but it sounds like they've not put up much of a fight to keep the doors open

 

Cheers,

Terry

[Surveyor]

it broken up like other members

I am going to download the catalogue for reference

[draganm]

the PZ IV was on loan.

thx

 

An impressive collection and well displayed too, but it sounds like they've not put up much of a fight to keep the doors open

Cheers,

Terry

I don't know all the details, but I certainly couldn't see myself fighting a municipality either 20 years from now when retirement is the other option. Not to mention that the location appears to be too far outside the flow of tourist dollars. Sometimes the chips are stacked against you just a little too high.

 

I hope serious and dedicated collectors snap it all up though. It will be interesting to see where it ends up, some of it looks really unique and would be even harder to assemble today then it was the first time around.

[Lauren Child]

Did they have anything representing British and Commonwealth forces?

[lowfat]

http://www.artcurial.com/en/asp/searchresults.asp?pg=1&ps=18&st=D&sale_no=3114+++

 

In short no.. couple of post war 432s

[draganm]

looks like this is tomorrow, really some of the uniforms and smaller equipment are really amazing, even more so than the vehicles in some way. I wish I was a Billionaire

[Packhow75]

Sale prices listed here...

 

https://artcurial.infinitebidding.com/?method=getCatalogLots&catalogref=KJCJLD9OTO

[N.O.S.]

Can only get first of three pages of results, but am I the only one thinking the GMC 352 / WC51 / Jeep prices realised are more like telephone numbers than realistic values?

[Great War truck]

70,000 for one Jeep and 60,000 for the other. Interestingly, it does have the words "non verifie" after the hammer price so maybe it is not right.

[w896andy]

I presume that you must also add the 16% fee and 20% VAT to those figures as well :wow:

[N.O.S.]

Surely if you've just made a winning bid of 115,000 euros for a Cushman scooter the fee and VAT are academic.....

[Smithy]

It made it onto the BBC News website over the weekend: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-37402646 with some interesting factual statements.

[Great War truck]

I like the way he says that every item was used on D Day and the Normandy Campaign. I wonder if that includes the LVT's?