Wax presidents, first ladies sold
From George Washington to Barack Obama, the 44 presidents of the United States, and their miniature first lady counterparts, were auctioned off to the public on Saturday.
Hundreds of people bid on the wax likenesses of the commanders-in-chief, the main draw of the Hall of Presidents and First Ladies Museum in Gettysburg, which closed in November after about 60 years.
Pa. Onsite Auction Company held the auction at the 1863 Inn Of Gettysburg, just across the street from the museum, which will be repurposed into office space.
More than 300 people packed a room in the hotel that allowed seating for 225. Until President Abraham Lincoln’s auction concluded, bidders and curious guests spilled out into the hallway.
Lincoln’s wax statue topped the bids for the day at $8,500, while it is believed Hillary Clinton’s figurine led among the first ladies at $675; Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ replica went for $550. Theodore Roosevelt’s wax figure brought in the second-highest amount at $8,000.
The auction included plenty of museum memorabilia outside of the presidents and first ladies, like Life magazine photographs, presidential artwork and renderings.
For a majority of the 7-hour auction, Randy Dickensheets and his son, Darren, took turns presenting the items, at times transforming the standard speed talking into dulcet dexterity. When it came to the presidents, Randy would chip in with interesting factoids, like John Quincy Adams’ penchant for swimming in the Potomac River “in the buff.”
Randy Dickensheets responded that Saturday didn’t come close to some of their longest days. “Heavens, no,” he said, cit- ing 12-hour feats.
Where Saturday’s auction did eclipse other similar auctions, like the ones held for the Solider’s National Museum and the Civil War Wax Museum, was in national buzz. Many phone and absentee bids came in, and people traveled from as far as Canada.
A crew from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert attended to film the event.
David Buckwash, of Dillsburg, Pa., claimed he “would have been happy with any one” of the presidents, and ended up winning the last one of the day — Barack Obama for $2,000.