Fascinating Early and Classic Era American Collections Set for RM Sotheby's Hershey Sale

August 27, 2015 by RM Sotheby's

• RM Sotheby's brings two private collections rich in automotive history to its annual Hershey sale, October 8-9 in Pennsylvania

• Auction headlined by the Richard Roy Estate Collection, 25 automobiles with strong New Jersey and Pennsylvania ties

• Event also features selection of 10 pre-1916 vehicles from the esteemed Harold Coker Collection

• Complete event details and a frequently updated list of entries available at www.rmsothebys.com

BLENHEIM, Ontario (August 27, 2015) – RM Sotheby's, the world's largest collector car auction house for investment quality automobiles, is delighted to announce the addition of two very unique private collections to its annual Hershey sale, October 8-9 in Pennsylvania.

The October event follows RM's strongest Hershey performance to date in 2014, which totaled more than $14 million bolstered by the successful sale of two single-vendor collections, the Cars of John Moir and the Jeffrey Day Collection. The 2015 auction is set to build on this result, bringing two more fascinating private collections to the podium, including the long hidden-away Richard Roy Estate Collection, and a selection of vehicles from the esteemed Harold Coker Collection.

'It is quickly becoming tradition for RM to offer incredibly interesting private collections at Hershey, a venue that has proven time and again our team's expertise in presenting single-vendor groups within our catalogue sales,' says Gord Duff, Car Specialist, RM Sotheby's. 'Similar to the fascinating A-to-Z Collection at our 2014 event, both the Roy and Coker collections represent very special groups of highly-sought-after early automobiles, assembled by two men for whom the AACA represented a lifelong community.'

The Richard Roy Estate Collection

Richard Roy of Branchville, New Jersey was a longtime member of just about every car club, and an attendee at the AACA Hershey Meet for almost four decades. A successor to his father's farm equipment and feed company, he was a businessman for whom no search was too far or too ambitious if it meant locating the right car or piece of automobilia.

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RM Sotheby's is honored to present Mr. Roy's collection of 25 Early American and Classic Era cars at its upcoming Hershey sale. The collection focuses extensively on vehicles with local Sussex County, NJ or regional Pennsylvania ties, along with cars of particular originality or peculiarity. Mr. Roy purchased his first car in 1949 at the age of 17– a 1929 Chrysler Series 75 Roadster known as 'Blossom' which remains part of the collection to this day and is included in the offering (Est. $40,000 - $60,000). While he drove and showed his earliest acquisitions at club events, after the mid-1960s, access to his garage remained limited to his favored local community groups and select car aficionados. His family estimates that no more than a few dozen people saw the collection for an extended period. RM Sotheby's is proud to finally unveil Richard Roy's lifetime of collecting to the public, where it will be offered entirely without reserve.

Highlights include:

• an extremely original 1922 Mercer Series 5 Sport, formerly of the Frederick Crawford Collection (Est. $150,000 - $200,000);

• a 1923 Mercer Series 6 Sporting, one of 10 surviving examples of the model, previously of the Alfred Ferrara and Bill Harrah collections (Est. $175,000 - $225,000);

• a remarkably well-preserved 1916 Pierce Arrow Model 38-C-4 Five-Passenger Touring, once owned by A.K. Miller (Est. $90,000 - $130,000); and,

• a 1908 Holsman Model H-11 Touring, the first automobile sold in Sussex County, New Jersey, remaining there ever since (Est. $30,000 - $50,000).

A Selection of Automobiles from the Harold Coker Collection

RM Sotheby's is thrilled to also present 10 automobiles from the esteemed Harold Coker Collection at its upcoming Hershey auction. A lifelong enthusiast well-known and respected in the global collector community, Harold Coker loved cars as long as he could remember. Starting with a Model T that he sold and bought back several times, he began purchasing nearly one car every year for five decades. His passion for the automobile led him to leave his position at B.F. Goodrich and start Coker Tire Company in 1958, filling a niche enthusiast market for rare and obsolete tires that today is the world's largest supplier of collector car tires.

Harold's own cars were exceptional; each one described as part of the family, and all of them shown regularly and often highly awarded at AACA and HCCA events across the United States. He had a penchant for the usual as well, specifically for the Thomas marque, famous for winning the 1908 New York to Paris race. Highlights from his collection of pre-1916 vehicles slated for the Hershey stage include:

• a pair of Thomases, including a 1905 Flyer Model 25 Side-Entrance Tonneau, the only example known to have survived intact (Est. $375,000 - $500,000), and a 1907 Flyer Model 4-40 Four-Passenger Runabout, a sister car to the legendary winner of the 1908 race (Est. $450,000 - $600,000);

• a 1911 National Model 40 Speedway Roadster, a twin to the car that won the 1912 Indianapolis 500 ($200,000 - $275,000);

• a 1903 Columbus Electric Folding-Top Runabout, believed to have been owned by silent film star ZaSu Pitts (Est. $100,000 - $150,000); and,

• an exceedingly rare 1909 Petrel 30 HP Roadster, believed to be the only example extant (Est. $100,000 - $150,000).

A feature attraction of the AACA Eastern Division Fall Meet, RM Sotheby's ninth annual Hershey sale will be held at Hershey Lodge and present an outstanding roster of approximately 150 automobiles and select memorabilia. For further information on the Hershey sale or to view a frequently updated list of entries, please visit www.rmsothebys.com or call +1 519 352 4575.

About RM Sotheby's

RM Sotheby's (formerly RM Auctions) is the world's largest auction house for investment-quality automobiles. With 35 years' experience in the collector car industry, RM's vertically integrated range of services, from private treaty sales and auctions to estate planning, and financial services, coupled with an expert team of car specialists and an international footprint, provide an unsurpassed level of service to the global collector car market. As a company, RM Sotheby's has established numerous auction benchmarks, including the current record for the highest-grossing collector car auction of all time, with $172.9 million in sales at its 2015 Monterey event. In February this year, RM formed a strategic partnership with Sotheby's, uniting the two companies for the full calendar of future automobile auctions. For further information, visit www.rmsothebys.com.

Photo captions: Top – An overview of the Richard Roy Estate Collection, taken inside his Branchville, New Jersey garage (credit – Darin Schnabel © 2015 Courtesy RM Sotheby's). Bottom – The selection of 10 vehicles offered from the esteemed Harold Coker Collection at RM Sotheby's upcoming Hershey sale (Darin Schnabel © 2015 Courtesy RM Sotheby's).