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Treasure trove of Indian motorcycles found in scrapyard sold for small fortune
FOX News ^ | 01/25/2019 | By Gary Gastelu

Posted on 01/28/2019 2:15:29 PM PST by Red Badger

Don’t judge a book by its cover. Especially when that book is a scrapyard.

One of the most incredible collections of vintage Indian motorcycles and memorabilia was recently discovered on the property of RJ&C Metal Fabricators in Phoenix, after its owner Rickey Jensen passed away.

There, in a locked shed behind the stacks of barrels, beams, random machinery and broken down cars were 15 Indian motorcycles, several of the brand’s bicycles and dozens of signs, clocks and promotional items.

According to Mecum Auctions, Jensen mostly kept it a secret, and only one or two other people had ever even known about it. But now the world does.

All of the bikes and most of the collection sold for well over $500,000 combined at the Mecum Las Vegas event on Thursday night, where it was the star of the show. But a few of the knickknacks are still available, including several Indian wall clocks and a Chief Scooting Star children’s scooter.

Among the treasures that found new homes were a rare 1908 Single Camelback that sold for $82,500, a 1929 Ace Four that went for $88,000 and a red and white 1941 Four that brought the hammer down at $71,500.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; History; Hobbies; Sports
KEYWORDS: arizona; automotive; bike; indian; lasvegas; mc; mecumlasvegas; motorcycle; motorcycles; nevada; phoenix; rickeyjensen
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1 posted on 01/28/2019 2:15:29 PM PST by Red Badger
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To: martin_fierro

Motorcycle ping!..................


2 posted on 01/28/2019 2:15:51 PM PST by Red Badger (We are headed for a Civil War. It won't be nice like the last one....................)
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To: Red Badger

I thought this was going to about Royal Enfields,


3 posted on 01/28/2019 2:17:20 PM PST by PUGACHEV
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To: Red Badger

YOU CAN SEE THE ENTIRE COLLECTION HERE:

https://www.mecum.com/auctions/las-vegas-motorcycle-2019/collections/rickey-jensen-indian-motorcycle-collection/page/8/


4 posted on 01/28/2019 2:17:23 PM PST by Red Badger (We are headed for a Civil War. It won't be nice like the last one....................)
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To: Red Badger

I hope the dude from Pickers was allowed to bid.


5 posted on 01/28/2019 2:19:39 PM PST by Kenny500c
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To: Red Badger
It is rumored that there are a bunch of Indian motorcycles buried in the old landfill at the Lakehurst Naval(?) military base in NJ (where the Hindenburg blew up). Seems they had several dozen of them, packed up in cosmoline and crates ready to be shipped over to Europe.

The war ended before the were shipped, so they just dumped them in the pit, crates and all.

That's the story anyway.

6 posted on 01/28/2019 2:21:18 PM PST by 21twelve (!)
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To: Kenny500c

Probably a wee bit out of his price range.................


7 posted on 01/28/2019 2:21:39 PM PST by Red Badger (We are headed for a Civil War. It won't be nice like the last one....................)
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To: 21twelve

Never heard that one!..............................


8 posted on 01/28/2019 2:23:54 PM PST by Red Badger (We are headed for a Civil War. It won't be nice like the last one....................)
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To: Red Badger

The Pickers, Mike and Frank, are wealthy.


9 posted on 01/28/2019 2:28:29 PM PST by shelterguy
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To: Red Badger

How did the American Pickers miss out on this? Seems like nothing gives those guys a charge like Indian Motorcycle gear...


10 posted on 01/28/2019 2:31:13 PM PST by rhinohunter (Dear Mr. Trump: I'm still not tired of winning)
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To: Red Badger

I did a quick search but didn’t find anything. Other than realizing they would have been Harley Davidsons, not Indians. (IIRC they were also rumored to have sidecars as well.)

Might be true. It was guys in the motor pool telling me about it. Of course it might have started out when some 18-year old newbie back in 1949 was complaining about how boring things were, and his boss in the motor pool told him the yarn.

“Yep - in the fall of ‘45 we just dumped them in. A guy with a shovel could probably still find them. I’m guessing the pit was about even with the north end of Hangar B, and pretty close to the woods.”


11 posted on 01/28/2019 2:34:55 PM PST by 21twelve (!)
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To: rhinohunter

They are from Iowa.

This was in Phoenix..................


12 posted on 01/28/2019 2:35:23 PM PST by Red Badger (We are headed for a Civil War. It won't be nice like the last one....................)
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To: rhinohunter

I think the evidence says the original owner highly prized his secret stash and didn’t see any value in sharing it with many people. Letting Mecum handle it probably got all the best bidders in the room to get max $$$ for the estate.


13 posted on 01/28/2019 2:36:27 PM PST by T-Bird45 (It feels like the seventies, and it shouldn't.)
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To: 21twelve

Snipe hunting..................


14 posted on 01/28/2019 2:36:30 PM PST by Red Badger (We are headed for a Civil War. It won't be nice like the last one....................)
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To: shelterguy

I don’t think they are THAT wealthy.................


15 posted on 01/28/2019 2:37:00 PM PST by Red Badger (We are headed for a Civil War. It won't be nice like the last one....................)
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To: Red Badger
Shouldn’t that be “Native American Motorcycles”? 😏
16 posted on 01/28/2019 2:50:17 PM PST by AFreeBird
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To: AFreeBird

What if the come from India?................


17 posted on 01/28/2019 2:51:26 PM PST by Red Badger (We are headed for a Civil War. It won't be nice like the last one....................)
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To: Red Badger

Sub-continent Asian?


18 posted on 01/28/2019 2:52:34 PM PST by AFreeBird
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To: Red Badger

Mike is worth 4 million and Frank is worth 3 million.


19 posted on 01/28/2019 2:52:39 PM PST by shelterguy
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To: Red Badger

Thanks for the link with all the interesting stuff. It left me wondering how much some of those small lots of memorabilia/trinkets resulted in for bids. It would have been exciting to be a bidder on those.


20 posted on 01/28/2019 2:52:46 PM PST by T-Bird45 (It feels like the seventies, and it shouldn't.)
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