A 70-year personal collection of historical artifacts belonging to two German brothers went up for auction on Saturday, Aug. 12 at the Pahrump Nugget.
Gunter and Horst Schulz moved to Pahrump from Glendale, California several years ago.
Both brothers have since passed away.
As a result, remaining family members contracted with Clark County Public Auction to liquidate the estate, consisting of treasured items from the Prussian, World War I and World War II eras, along with firearms, game mounts and more than 50 bronze works of art.
Very successful event
Auctioneer Ron Gipson said the event surpassed even his expectations.
He’s been in the business for upward of 17 years.
“We auctioned off 391 items altogether,” he said. “Ninety percent of everything in the auction was from the Schulz estate. “To deem the auction as successful, would be an understatement. The crowd that showed up was just over the moon, and it was fantastic. The room literally looked like a museum the way it was set up. We started the auction at 10 a.m. and put down the mic at around 4 p.m. There the few unexpected and unusual things that happened.”
Items sold
Gipson noted that the fact the event was an estate auction, he could not release the total dollar amount generated to the general public.
Among the high-ticket items auctioned off was a 1949 Cadillac, which brought in $10,250 Gipson said.
“We also ended up selling the Tartar Warrior bronze created by Antoine-Louis Barye, who was a French sculptor back in 1796, for $6,500, which was a surprise to us,” he said. “That gentleman got it at a really good deal as well. We auctioned off an American Indian bronze for $2,800, a Drilling three-barrel German gun for $2,600 and a black powder rifle for $2,300.”
Additionally, a 1933 German dagger sold for $1,900, while a German steel helmet and large moose mount went for $1,150, and $1,100 respectively from the lot, Gipson added.
Pleased with results
“One of the family members was present at the auction and he was just over-the-moon excited and very happy,” Gipson said. “He gave us all congratulations during and after the auction, because what we brought in during the auction exceeded what we thought it was going to be by far.”
Bidding Process
Gipson also spoke about the various methods of how attendees and non-attendees submitted their respective bids.
Upward of 48,000 people viewed the online catalog prior to the auction.
“We had 620 online bidders and another 400 registered bidders who were actually at the auction,” he said. “I would say at one time we had at least 800 people going through there on Saturday. We also had bidders from Germany and Canada. There was a gentleman from the United Arab Emirates who made bids and we also created a YouTube video from the interior of the Schulz home. We had a total of 1,350 people who viewed it.”
Discriminating tastes
Gipson also said he and his team put much thought into what they decide to place on the auction block.
“We don’t put anything into the auction that we know would not sell,” he cautioned. “There were a few items left over from the estate such as general merchandise and miscellaneous pictures. Those items will go to the general live auction. We work on a commission with everything we do. If we do the best for everybody else, we do the best for us as well. We put our best interests into the estate.”
Future events
Gipson noted he doesn’t have any similar estate auctions coming up but he hopes to hold other estate auctions at least every three months.
I love the community of Pahrump and I’ve lived here for 23 years, so I want to try to keep things in town,” he said. “Clark County Public Auction performs auctions every single Saturday at 10 a.m. in Las Vegas, and I am one of those auctioneers.”
Gipson also said a stamp collection from the Schulz estate will go up for auction at a date to be determined.
“We don’t have anything similar coming up, but I hope to host these types of auctions at least every three months,” he said. “If anyone wants information on the services we provide auction-wise, they can just give me a call at 775 513-9362 or they can call the auction in Las Vegas at 702 399-1700. We also have the website, www.lasvegasauction.com which will keep you updated as well.”
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com, on Twitter: @pvtimes