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Iowa’s National Motorcycle Museum Bike Collections to be Auctioned in September

A 1906 Curtiss Twin, present at the collections of Iowa's National Motorcycle Museum. Media sourced from the NMM.
A 1906 Curtiss Twin, present at the collections of Iowa's National Motorcycle Museum. Media sourced from the NMM.

Per March’s unfortunate news, Iowa’s National Motorcycle Museum’s (NMM’s) motorcycle collections are slotted to be auctioned off at Mecum Auctions in September of this year, with “over 300 collector-grade motorcycles and over 1,000 lots of road art” primed for the stage – an unfortunate series of events, even in the brightest of lights (though we daresay the next owners will be the more jovial for the opportunity). 

A view of the collections that were offered at Iowa's National Motorcycle Museum, which is offering “over 300 collector-grade motorcycles and over 1,000 lots of road art" to Mecum's chop block. Media sourced from the NMM.
A view of the collections that were offered at Iowa’s National Motorcycle Museum, which is offering “over 300 collector-grade motorcycles and over 1,000 lots of road art” to Mecum’s chop block. Media sourced from the NMM.

The fleets of motorcycles mentioned above belong to the John Parham Estate Collection – a beautiful homage to the past, contributing to the vast majority of the NMM’s bikes, including:

  • 1936 Norton International Road Racer
  • 1927 Brough Superior SS100 Pendine
  • 1955 Vincent Black Prince
  • Two Vincent Rapides
  • 1952 Vincent Black Shadow
  • 1937 Harley-Davidson EL Knucklehead

Expect the Parham Collection to hit the chop block from September 6-9, 2023, with a total of 6,000 machines slotted to be offered to the highest bidder.

A view of the collections that were offered at Iowa's National Motorcycle Museum, which is offering “over 300 collector-grade motorcycles and over 1,000 lots of road art" to Mecum's chop block. Media sourced from the NMM.
A view of the collections that were offered at Iowa’s National Motorcycle Museum, which offers “over 300 collector-grade motorcycles and over 1,000 lots of road art” to Mecum’s chop block. Media sourced from the NMM.

“All bidders will be required to register in order to place bids, with registration starting at $100,” offers coverage from RideApart

“Interested parties can register online via the Mecum website, which we’ll link in our Sources. Registration will also be available on-site at the auction, which will take place at the Museum itself in Anamosa.”

A stunning 1961 Harley-Davidson Sportster XLCH - one of the machines to be present from NMM's collections. Media sourced from the NMM.
A stunning 1961 Harley-Davidson Sportster XLCH – one of the machines to be present from NMM’s collections. Media sourced from the NMM.

“In-person registration will include admission for up to two people to attend the auction for all the days of the event; those unable to attend in person will be able to bid remotely online or via telephone.”

With the auction’s preview booked on September 5th (a Tuesday), we look forward to seeing each and every one of these magnificent machines finds a new home. 

*Media sourced from Iowa’s National Motorcycle Museum (NMM)*