'Walking' elephant, rare guitars headline Red Baron sale An enormous 'walking' mechanical elephant ridden by President Eisenhower at the 1952 Republican National Convention, plus six rare vintage guitars, will be sold Feb. 17-18 by Red Baron in Atlanta, Ga.
D-1, a mahogany body instrument, eventually became the D-18. In 1934, the D-18 was offered with a 14-fret neck, which most consider to be standard today. The example to be sold is in excellent overall condition.
*Three models from 1942 -- a D-28 (in the case, Serial # 81124); a D-41 (in the case, Serial # 254444); and a D-45 (in the case, Serial # 80748). The latter two have the extra ornamentation and premium woods that typify Martin's prestigious 40-series. And the D-28, first unveiled in 1931, has remained the standard by which all large-bodied, steel-stringed acoustic guitars are measured.
*1969 Martin D-45 (in the case, Serial # 81578) – The most recent in the group, but no less desirable as a collectible. The headstock is inlaid with the traditional “C.F. Martin” logo, and the many fine appointments include a multi-colored mosaic backstrip, tortoise pick guard and polished, low-profile neck. Hand-scalloped bracing and superior tonewoods produce a deep, clear, resonant tone.
Red Baron, in its fourth decade of business, is widely regarded as the premier auction house in the Southeast. The firm holds just three sales a year, all of them themed extravaganzas. Auctions in the past have featured ice sculptures, dwarfs in costume and armed guards protecting some of the more valuable lots. Restaurant Hospitality Magazine described Red Baron as “a three-ring circus gone mad.”
As an example, just a few of the vintage and one-of-a-kind vehicles to be sold at the Feb. 17-18 sale include a Rolls Royce once owned and driven by silent film star Mary Pickford; a 1956 light blue and white Chevrolet Bel-Air convertible, V-8, fully restored; a 1957 red Thunderbird hardtop; a 1949 Willys Overland Jeepster; and a 1936 Rolls Royce retrofitted as a Moxie Cola Horsemobile.
To learn more about Red Baron and the upcoming February auction, you may visit the firm online at www.rbantiques.com. To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call them directly, at (404) 252-3770. The e-mail address is info@rbantiques.com. Red Baron is located at 6450 Roswell Road in Atlanta.
