Wilson Pickett's 1974 Stutz Blackhawk brings $50,600

A remarkably well preserved 1974 Stutz Blackhawk automobile, once owned and driven by the late soul singer Wilson Pickett, sold for $50,600 at a multi-estate sale held April 29 by Four Seasons Auction Gallery in Atlanta. A large part of the sale was dedicated to the estate of Mr. Pickett, who died earlier this year.

[USPRwire, Mon May 07 2007] A remarkably well preserved 1974 Stutz Blackhawk automobile, once owned and driven by the late soul singer Wilson Pickett, sold for $50,600 at a multi-estate sale held April 29 by Four Seasons Auction Gallery. A large part of the sale was dedicated to the estate of Mr. Pickett, who passed away in Virginia this past January. Prices quoted include a 10% buyer's premium.
“The Stutz was Wilson's pride and joy, but he also left behind other items of interest that got the crowd of around 250 people pretty juiced,” said Steve White of Four Seasons Auction Gallery. “Stage costumes, jewelry, furniture, personal clothing – he owned a lot and we sold a lot. But we didn't have enough time to sell it all, so there will be a Part 2 to the Wilson Pickett estate, sometime in June.”
The automobile was the top lot of the auction. It was one of only eight Stutz Blackhawks imported into the U.S. in 1974. It featured a body hand-built in Torino, Italy; a 24-karat gold-plated interior; power sun roof; a 431 hp, 455 cu. in. modified Pontiac Grand Prix engine; and all leather interior. Originally silver, it was re-painted maroon. The odomoeter showed just 26,000 original miles.
Stutz Blackhawks were the car of choice among elite entertainers of the day. Besides Mr. Pickett, other owners included Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin (who wrecked his), Evel Knievel, Sammy Davis, Jr., Isaac Hayes, Robert Goulet and Lucille Ball. The Shah of Iran reportedly owned twelve of them. Steve White said an unidentified museum purchased Mr. Pickett's vehicle.
In other items from the estate of Wilson Pickett:
About 130 stage costumes, plus an equal number of hand-tailored suits and other items of personal clothing, were offered. A top lot was a red leather stage ensemble worn on tour by the singer. It sold for $715. Most of Mr. Pickett's stage costumes were form-fitting, rhinestone-studded outfits. Also, his 3.20-carat solitaire diamond ring, appraised at $21,750, was a bargain at just $12,100.
Many furniture pieces from inside Mr. Pickett's former residence in Reston, Va., were also put up for bid. Most were custom-designed by a functional sculptor and complemented one another. A custom dining table with glass-top sculpted metal frame soared to $6,380, while the matching set of eight upholstered dining chairs – two arms, six sides – were sold as single lots for a combined $16,280.
A wall-mounted custom sculpted bar, six feet in diameter, commanded $15,950, while a complementary hanging credenza, about six feet long and with a slate inset top, garnered $5,830. A pair of tables completed the custom grouping. One was a coffee table with 1/2-inch plate glass top, signed “DM 70” ($4,070); the other was a breakfast table, with glass top, signed “DE 70” ($2,970).
The “Wicked Mr. Pickett” was one of the most famous and recognizable soul singers of the 1960s and '70s, with hits like “Mustang Sally”, “In the Midnight Hour”, “Land of 1,000 Dances” and “Funky Broadway.” He died January 19th in Reston, Va., following a heart attack. His connection to Atlanta came by way of his brother, Maxwell, the co-executor and trustee of his estate, who lives there.
Sadly, Wilson Pickett died a relatively lonely man, consumed by what his brother said was a sense of abandonment at the end of his life. At his funeral, only singer Little Richard, and members of the singing group the Falcons (Pickett sang with them in the '50s), paid their respects and spoke. Not a word, though, from Aretha Franklin, Solomon Burke and Bobby Womack -- all longtime friends.
Between the items from Mr. Pickett's estate and the other estate pieces, around 1,000 lots changed hands. Two furniture items bear mention. One was a monumental Renasissance bookcase, hand-selected by Mr. White on an antique-buying junket to Europe. The piece, acquired in Sweden, featured Circassian burl walnut panels with minerva head and a musical lyre crest. It brought $17,930.
The other was an Italian three-piece bedroom suite (“carved to death,” in the words of Mr. White). The set included a fantastic four-post carved walnut bed (modified to king-size, with fully carved figures), a beautiful armoire and night cupboard. The suite was consigned by the Castles in the Clouds bed and breakfast in Napa Valley, Calif. After spirited bidding, it finally gaveled for $18,150.
Four Seasons Auction Gallery is devoting two entire weekends – May 5-6 and May 19-20 – to the liquidation of Moose Head Trading Company, located on-site at 5461 Peachtree Road in Atlanta, in the heart of Chamblee Antique Row. John Carbon, the owner of Moose Head, is retiring after 20 years' of supplying restaurants, saloons, neighborhood bars, movies and game rooms across the U.S.
So much is contained in the 20,000-square-foot building it necessitated dedicating four days to its liquidation. Included will be hundreds of advertising signs, neon signs and clocks, airplanes, arcade games, barber poles, gas pumps and globes, brass cash registers, Coca-Cola collectibles, country store items, mounted fish and game, framed pictures and posters, and hunting and fishing items.
And that's not all. Moose Head also stocked jukeboxes, lamp posts, movie posters, early advertising signs, peanut and gum ball machines, propellers, radios, scales, slot machines, sports equipment, street signs, taxidermy, telephones and booths, traffic lights, whimsical figures, popcorn machines, Pepsi and Coke coolers, model airplanes, nautical items, sporting collectibles and more.
The start time for all four days of the Moose Head liquidation sale will be 11 am. Four Seasons Auction Gallery is one of the premier auction houses in the Southeast, and certainly one of the most active. From mid-April to mid-May, the firm conducted 11 auctions. These included on-site real estate auctions, antiques and vintage automobile sales, plus regular estate sales every Wednesday night.
To learn more about Four Seasons Auction Gallery, or to see a calendar of upcoming auction dates, you may visit the firm online at www.fsagallery.com. Quality consignments are always being accepted. To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call Four Seasons Auction Gallery directly, at (404) 876-1048. Or, you may contact them via e-mail at info@fsagallery.com.

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