Donations continue to pour in for the silent auction to be held May 6 as part of the 2022 LCOC Western National Meet and a set of rare designer Lincoln luggage from the 1960s tops the list of offerings even as meet registrations approach the April 15 deadline for entries. Click here to register your car and sign up for meet events.
Meet Co-Chairs John Burge and Ron Cressy promise an auction of premium items during an evening of fun and surprises. Mid-century cocktails, dinner and cars will be featured in our own version of the famed Palm Springs landmark Chi Chi Room for cocktails, dinner, slow jazz music and classic cars under the stars at Monstore Garage, home of the Prescott Collection and more. This is just one of a glittering array of events and activities that are part of the May 4-8 Western National Meet.
For decades the Chi Chi Room was host to the best musical acts in the country. We hope to inspire you with the sounds of those times, so put on your smart dinner attire and be transported back with an evening of martinis and merriment.
During dinner tbe silent auction will feature classic Lincoln items, fabulous pieces of art, special gift baskets and much more; you’ll want to have your credit cards, check book or cash ready.
Western Region Director JIm Ayres, Royal Family designer luggage donor, says the six pieces for auction in May are among 12 that were offered decades ago. They were specially designed to fit comfortably in the Lincoln trunks of the mid-to-late ’60s. Today they are extremely rare. The last full set of 12 to hit the market brought a 5-figure price.
The pieces up for auction are the King, Queen, Prince, Princess, Duchess, and Squire. In 1968 those pieces together sold for $385. With inflation factored in that’s the equivalent of $3,139 today. JIm acquired the luggage from Ed Witt, former owner of Witt Lincoln, San Diego, one of the nation’s premier dealers. The desirability of the collector pieces has been known for years. In 2000 Chris Dunn, owner of Lincolnland in Florida realized one of his dreams by acquiring a set.
Now our auction affords you the chance to own your unique piece of Lincoln history!
In 2000 Chris wrote the article below for Lincoln and Continental Comments magazine:
I recently acquired this luggage but it took 19 years of waiting.
In September, 1980, when I purchased a 1969 Lincoln Continental sedan from the original owner, Robert Buttmi in Treasure Island, Florida, he told me the story of how he ordered the car from Carlisle Lincoln-Mercury in Clearwater, Florida with every available option including “new Town Car ultra-luxury interior option” and the matched set of luggage.
However, my purchase of the car in September, 1980 would not include the luggage as he wanted to keep this for their 1970 Mark III he bought new for his wife. Mr. and Mrs. Buttmi were so nice they said I could use the luggage set whenever I wanted to take it in the trunk to car shows, so I did take advantage of their offer once when I took the car to the Florida-Georgia Lincoln Car Show in St. Augustine, Florida in April, 1981.
We stayed in contact over the years and they knew I was interested in purchasing the luggage set. Mrs. Buttmi stopped driving the Mark III 10 years ago but son Doug kept it in running condition for short local trips in the neighborhood only. He called in August, 1999 to tell me that his dad had passed away in 1997 and his mom was ready to sell the Mark III and the luggage set along with it. I was able to purchase the set but passed on the Mark III for now. It was worth the 19 year wait as now I have this rare luggage set to display in the trunk of my mom and dad’s 1968 Lincoln Continental two door coupe.
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