MECUM On-Time

Melissa Smith - Director of MECUM On-Time for MECUM Auctions

Mecum's timed online auction platform—Mecum On Time—is a tool that operates in real-time and expands upon the ability to consign an array of wonderful offerings and bid on them with the click of a mouse.

Contact: Melissa Smith at msmith@mecum.com | N/A | Visit Online!

          

• Tell us about Mecum Road Art and Mecum On Time.
• How does Mecum Auctions differentiate items sold as Mecum Road Art and Mecum On Time?
• What does Mecum On Time offer to customers that is different from buying auctions at a live auction-event? 
• How did Mecum Auctions know that the Mecum On Time platform had growth potential and that it needed its separate staff?
• Are collections  required to be from the automobilia arena? And, if so, what items seem to be most desired by collectors? 
• How does the consignment process work for a person interested in consigning a collection with Mecum On Time? 
• What are some of the highlight collections of Road Art items that are consigned to Mecum Kissimmee this year?
• How many Road Art items are consigned to Mecum Kissimmee this year and how many will be offered on Road Art Monday?
• What’s on offer at Mecum On Time and items to be on the lookout for?
• How does Mecum go about consigning collections for Mecum Road Art and Mecum On Time?

and much, much more!

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] BreakFix podcast is all about capturing the living history of people from all over the autosphere, from wrench turners and racers to artists, authors, designers, and everything in between. Our goal is to inspire a new generation of petrolheads that wonder, how did they get that job or become that person?

The road to success is paved by all of us because everyone has a story.

Crew Chief Eric: The following episode is brought to us in part by Garage Style Magazine. Since 2007, Garage Style Magazine has been the definitive source for car collectors, continually delivering information about automobilia, Petroliana, events, and more.

To learn more about the annual publication and its new website, be sure to follow them on social media at Garage Style Magazine, or log on to www. garagestylemagazine. com. Because after all. What doesn’t belong in your garage?

What started in 1988 [00:01:00] with little more than a few helpers around a family dining room table This company is now the world’s largest collector car auction company with the most auctions the most consignments And with more than 700 million in total sales In 2022, MECUM Auctions maintains its close knit family atmosphere with many team members who have been onboarded since the company’s inception and its first auction at the Rockford, Illinois Airport.

Don Weberg: MECUM Auctions continues to expand its catalog of offerings to include an even wider array of collectibles, encompassing entry level to investment grade classics. and collector cars, vintage and antique motorcycles, signs and memorabilia items like gas pumps, pedal cars and clocks, and even collector grade tractors and farm relics.

Crew Chief Eric: And to more effectively manage the growth of MECUM’s Road Art and Automobilia divisions, the company has expanded into Road Art and On Time. And joining us tonight is Melissa Smith, the new director of MECUM On Time, [00:02:00] to tell us more about MECUM’s Road Art and MECUM On Time programs. So welcome to Break Fix, Melissa.

Thank you very much for having me. Since we already described the origin of MECUM in the introduction, why don’t we just jump right in and talk about MECUM Road Art and MECUM On Time. Where do they come from? What are they about?

Melissa Smith: MECUM offers something for everyone that intends a MECUM auction.

MECUM Road Art is really an all encompassing Collectible genre. You know, and the word road art is something that MECUM has developed, has backed, and is really trademarked over the last few years. The term that’s exclusively used by MECUM Auctions. Everyone else is anything collectible that may enhance your personal space, accentuate a collector car garage, a motorcycle museum, or even your vintage tractor barn.

It’s everything that can be used to embellish a personal space and also offer a piece of history. It can be anything from vintage gas pumps, to dealership signs, to items from racing [00:03:00] history, but virtually it covers anything that has a past and even a story to tell. So Mecum Road Art is displayed at Mecum car auctions.

People can look at it, feel it, touch it, and give them a sense of what it would look like in their own personal garage. Gives them a chance to maybe take something home from a Mecum event. If maybe they didn’t get the car of their dreams, they may find a piece of road art that they can take home and add to their personal collection.

We offer lots prior to the car auctions every morning at our live events, and then also twice a year at the Kissimmee auction, as well as in Indianapolis, we have a standalone road art auction called Road Art Monday. So it’s everything you can think about. And different offerings that are available exclusively on that one day when the cars kind of take a break and road art gets to shine for the day.

Don Weberg: What is Meekum on Time? Is it something to do with road art? Are they interchangeable?

Melissa Smith: Meekum on Time has been [00:04:00] something we’ve been working with since about 2019. We took a wonderful collection from the late Steven Giuliano. You remember his collection. It was. And it was the family’s wishes to keep it all together.

There were thousands and thousands of items. Honestly, there wasn’t enough time to sell them across the actual car auction block. So we started Mikuman Time to allow us a chance to keep the collection together and sell all the little intricate pieces that went along with the collection. We were able to create a platform.

That accentuated the collection and then also gave us an opportunity to sell everything. The pandemic started in 2020. We did shut down live events for just a very, very brief time. Meekam on time really took focus at that moment and we ran quite a few auctions [00:05:00] during that time. Well, the live auctions just took a brief pause, so we’re seeing that people they want to be part of me come.

They want to be part of the experience and whether it is sitting in their home or a live event. We want to be able to give that me come experience to everybody.

Don Weberg: It was that one individual collection that was sort of the kickoff for on time. What did you do after the Giuliano collection? What was next after that, before COVID?

Melissa Smith: We had various auctions where we had an on time auction where we sold in Las Vegas. We did pull up various on time auctions, kind of testing the waters and see how really we wanted to tweak the system. What was really working best for us. Ultimately we wanted to master it. We didn’t want to. Be making any mistakes.

We wanted to do it right. So from then on, we’ve been able to take other collections privately and they were only sold through me come on time or they were in collaboration with a car collection or other road art [00:06:00] collections where we work together in order to sell the multiple items.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, we talked about the history of OnTime and its intersection with RoadArt, but let’s more clearly define what exactly is OnTime for our first time collectors out there.

Melissa Smith: MECUM OnTime is a timed internet auction platform. It’s sold strictly through the internet. Nothing crosses the actual auction block, but it crosses the virtual auction block, and it gives us a chance to sell to customers all across the United States as well as in the other countries, and it allows us to push more items.

through in another format. Um, it’s a free platform. You know, we don’t charge anything to become a registered bidder. We want everyone to have a chance to own a piece of these amazing collections that we’re selling.

Crew Chief Eric: Is OnTime specifically web based or is there a phone app as well?

Melissa Smith: We are web based. The only way to get on is through ontime.

[00:07:00] mecum. com. Registration is free. Bidding is very simple. We try to make it as easy as possible. As soon as you are outbid, you are able to get an email notification, text notification, so that if you are outbid, you can easily jump back in and set another bid to make sure you win that item.

Don Weberg: So is there a differentiation between MECUM auctions or items just sold as Rodart or MECUM on time?

Or can anything be sold through on time? How does that work?

Melissa Smith: Trying to showcase the larger, the bigger items through the Rodart division that can be displayed beautifully at the auctions. MECUM on time right now, we are taking care of The smaller pieces, but that’s not to say that we are going to only be selling smaller items through our platform.

We’re hoping that this opens our door to additional types of collections beyond the automobile world. And really just the difference is a timed internet auction platform [00:08:00] versus items crossing the actual auction block at a live event.

Crew Chief Eric: So when you compare the three, Between the Mecum Live Auctions, Road Art, and On Time, are they all displaying and selling different items, or is it more of a trickle down effect, where On Time is like, oh, it’s that second chance to pick up that Road Art item that you didn’t get the first time at the live event, or are they independent from each other?

Melissa Smith: You know what, they really are independent from each other. For example, the Jim’s Forever collection we’re selling right now. We have about 10, 000 items from him. We just don’t have an opportunity to take all the items, display it at a MECUM auction, tear it down, ship it out. Having the Meekum on Time platform allows us an opportunity to share these large collections.

It may be the smaller, more intricate pieces that we’re able to share with more people, and not necessarily take up the time and the valuable space at a live event. You know, we want to use that [00:09:00] for the cars. They’re the show, we want them to be the spotlight, but we also want to be able to sell these large collections.

Don Weberg: As the strength and sales of road art items been the driver to separate MECUM Road Art and MECUM On Time, or what was the driving factor for that?

Melissa Smith: You know, we are getting these large collections. A lot of times we see it’s the family’s wishes to keep everything together, to sell them as whole. The MECUM On Time platform does allow us to keep the collections together.

Keep the focus on our live events on the actual cars, and that’s what everyone does want to see, but really have an opportunity to sell thousands and thousands of lots and really keep the family’s wishes and the collectors wishes together to be able to sell it in its entirety.

Don Weberg: Sometimes you get collections that are As you know, they’re from someone who passed away.

You’re dealing with the spouse. You’re dealing with the family. Is there like a, for lack of a better phrase, [00:10:00] a handholding process? Is there some way somebody who doesn’t know what they’re doing can call you and say, hi, help?

Melissa Smith: Yeah, absolutely. You know, we have it. People that have worked with Mecum since, you know, they’re around that kitchen table on the beginning ends of Mecum auctions.

There’s an amazing staff here that knows how to make sure that in the end that we make the family, all their wishes come true. There’s a time when we really have to make those decisions on what’s best for the collection. And our team here at Mecum auctions, they’ve really got a sense of what the family wants.

And what we’ve seen before too, is. Before someone even passes away, it’s already in their wishes, they want MECUM Auctions to essentially take care of their prized possessions and share it with the world. So a lot of those details are taken care of right on the front end, if not before, and it’s really an honor to see the full circle of how that process works.[00:11:00]

Don Weberg: Nice, very good.

Crew Chief Eric: So let’s talk about the folks that are buying from both road art and on time. Are you seeing any trends? Is it more collectibles? Is it all just like you described supplementals to the vehicles that they’re purchasing or to the vehicles themselves? Is it some combination thereof?

Melissa Smith: You know what, I really think it’s a combination of both.

A lot of times people are buying things to add to their own personal collections. People are finding a piece of their past, and you know, something spikes their interest, may remember it from their childhood, their grandparents childhood, or whatever that may be. Sometimes we do see impulse buying, a lot of other times we do see just collectors really trying to enhance their personal collections.

And another note too, when we sell these large collections, we’re People really do want things from the Stephen Giuliano collection, or the collection we’re selling right now is Jim’s Forever out of Menden, Ohio. These people that have meticulously cared and [00:12:00] curated items for 60 some years, people want a piece of that.

They want to remember that, and they want to add that to their personal collection.

Don Weberg: Did it have to be a collection to sell On time, or can somebody just call and say, I have the XYZ gas pump. I need to get rid of it. Help me.

Crew Chief Eric: Or Melissa, can I just go on and list something by myself? Is that an option too?

Melissa Smith: Right now we don’t offer an option for you to personally list your items per sale. We do have possibility of listing personal items. We would create an auction, sell different lots, and we are able to utilize that with different consignors.

Don Weberg: Does it have to be a collection or can it just be one or two items?

Melissa Smith: As of right now, it would need to be a collection, but that’s not to say we can’t sell one or two items. Now that we are branching off in our own division and making new auctions, we do have the possibility of offering that to consignors where we would sell one or two items.

Don Weberg: And what’s your cutoff? In other words, what [00:13:00] constitutes a collection?

How many pieces does somebody need to come to the program with?

Melissa Smith: Ideally, we would like to say maybe 30 items would be a collection. We have the opportunity right now, the way our platform is set up, we sell one or two items every minute. So say you have 30 items, the auction itself would last about 30 minutes to close.

We can always adjust the time how everything would close, but we have one coming up that has 50 items, which is absolutely perfect. It’s very defined, and it’s going to be marketed in such a way that you’re going to want to own a piece of this.

Don Weberg: Let’s say somebody had a collection of die cast toys that are very popular these days.

Is that something on time would want to handle?

Melissa Smith: Absolutely. We have done that in the past as well, where we have sold die cast cars. You can look at MECUM’s website and you can see all of our results are always posted there as well. We do have a great team that’s able to do the research, the photography, [00:14:00] and able to describe the items.

So anything from die cast cars and up, and we’re happy to take that on.

Crew Chief Eric: What does on time offer to customers that’s different from the auctions that are live?

Melissa Smith: What Mecom on Time does offer, we don’t have to run an auction at the same time a live event is going on. For example, we just had an on time auction today where we sold over 300 lots and we did a Cyber Monday sale.

We’ve been trying to do auctions every Tuesday at least once or twice a week. We don’t have to sell them specifically at the live events. We’re able to continually run auctions weekly, bi weekly, you know, as we see fit, as we start to get these collections and consignors wanting to sell with us. It allows people to really have the comforts of their own home.

Be able to bid from their house, from their personal device, from work, wherever they may be.

Crew Chief Eric: So I can honestly say I was part of the eBay online [00:15:00] auction generation. The first go round when it first came out, when the race was who had internet fast enough to get on eBay, right? You know, back in the days of the AOL CDs and that.

And so online auctions have been around. For quite a long time, there’s all sorts of different types out there. Was the move from road art to on time, an indication that online auctions as a result of COVID, like you mentioned are really on the rise again, because facilities like eBay and others had kind of gone out of fashion, thanks to online shopping, like Amazon, et cetera.

So are you seeing a shift back into the online auction world where consumers are more interested in that type of medium?

Melissa Smith: We’re definitely seeing an increase. Our live events, if you’ve been to them, they are packed with people. People want to be there. They want to be involved and we’re seeing a huge increase with our absentee bidding from the live events too.

We did offer a 100 bidder registration fee if you want to bid on road art and vehicles for a live event. So we are accommodating to that [00:16:00] group of people as well. Absolutely. We’re seeing an increase with the MECUM on time. We’ve got almost 7, 000 active bidders right now. Giving them another place to purchase a piece of MECUM and a piece of these amazing collections we’re selling out of the comforts of your own home and your car at the baseball game, wherever you may be, you can be part of the MECUM.

Our auctions, and it’s also giving our consignors and our collectors a chance to share their huge collections with the public. We’ve got a chance to keep the collections together and sell them in its entirety. And we’ve got an amazing marketing and presentation department here at MECUM, where we’re able to get into everybody’s home, share these amazing stories, and give everyone a chance to bid and purchase something.

Crew Chief Eric: Let’s say I buy something off of MECUM on time. Are you guys involved in shipping it out? How is an item actually purchased? You know, what are the fees? How does it all really work?

Melissa Smith: So [00:17:00] when you start out with the bidding process, our platform right now, you’ll see everything starts at 1. Our bidding platform gives everyone a chance to play and the bidding increments go up from there.

We’ve got a team that’s on site. We’ve just remodeled a warehouse where we’re meticulously doing inventory, photography, describing the items, all the way until an item is purchased in one in one of our auctions. We have a team that they are facilitating all of the packaging and shipping. So once your item is packed, it is shipped right to your doorstep.

Roughly about 1 to 3 days by the time you win the item and then it’s on your front door.

Crew Chief Eric: You mentioned that the items are listed always starting at a dollar. Is it a system where there are reserves? Is it all no reserve? How does that work too from the mechanical side of the auction?

Melissa Smith: In the past, we have run collections where there were reserves on items, and that definitely is something that we’re able to do.

Right now, the collection that we [00:18:00] are selling is strictly no reserve, and that also rolls into the live road art from Jim’s Forever Collection. That, too, is no reserve. As well as his motorcycles that will be sold at the Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction this January. That entire collection is being marketed and sold no reserve.

Then we know everyone’s going to be going home with a piece of the collection. But if you do want to sell your collection and have reserves on it, that is definitely something we can do as well.

Crew Chief Eric: Are there fees for both buyers and sellers and percentages? Is it all based on how it ends? Can you give some insight into folks that might be interested in trying out on time for the first time?

Melissa Smith: So our consigning fee, we negotiate. It is really based on, you know, what kind of collection you have and how many items there are. So that is discussed on an as is basis. As far as buying from our MECUM OnTime platform, the buyer’s premium for MECUM OnTime is 25%. That includes the lot itself and all the [00:19:00] payments going, you know, directly to that lot.

Don Weberg: Mecum Kissimmee 2023, the world’s largest collector car auction, will take place this January 4th through 15th in Kissimmee, Florida. This is a 12 day auction featuring estimated 4, 000 consignments of vehicles, but There’s a whole day of road art sales that MECUM calls Road Art Monday. Melissa, can you tell us a little bit, what are some of the highlight collections of the road art items that are consigned to Kissimmee this year?

Melissa Smith: Everyone’s excited for Kissimmee. Who doesn’t love January, Florida, weather? And our road art team, they are excited. They are getting ready to showcase over 10 private collections that will be sold over the course of the 12 day auction. One of the major highlights of the collections is one of my favorite.

It is called the Sweet Street Collection. It’s a bright, fun collection of vintage candy neon signs. [00:20:00] Once these are displayed in Kissimmee, they are going to bring so much nostalgia back to everyone that has a chance to take a look at these beautiful neon signs.

Don Weberg: That sounds terrific. How many road art items are consigned to Kissimmee this year?

Melissa Smith: Every day before the cars start crossing the auction block, Road Art will take center stage. Roughly 60 to 70 lots will sell each morning prior to the cars. And in addition to that, as you touched on Road Art Monday, the cars get to take a break and Road Art really does shine that day. And we’ll be selling almost 600 lots of Strictly Road Art on Road Art Monday.

Don Weberg: Wow. So 600 alone on Road Art Monday?

Melissa Smith: Absolutely.

Don Weberg: That’s incredible. Going, uh, side by side, what’s on offer at MECUM on Time and items to be on the lookout for there?

Melissa Smith: We actually will not be selling any MECUM on Time lots during the Kissimmee auction because we [00:21:00] certainly want to make sure the focal point is on the cars and the road art during that amazing event.

But we will have a wonderful booth on just a few minutes. play in Kissimmee, where we will be showcasing the final lots of the Jim’s Forever collection. And in addition to that, we have two collections coming up. One which you can see now online, which is a Porsche Rennsport collection, as well as one that is not up yet, but it is coming in the days to come, the Sheldey American collection coming out of Southern California with some amazing pieces.

Don Weberg: How does MECUM go about consigning collections for the Road Art in Kissimmee?

Melissa Smith: We have a consignment form that you can find online or you can call to our office at any time and someone can walk through the process. All items do get reviewed prior to being entered into the auction. Like I mentioned, we are offering 60 to [00:22:00] 70 lots every morning.

So it’s not a lot of opportunity, but you know what we’re looking for is the really high quality, high dollar items that people are really going to be looking for in Kissimmee.

Don Weberg: Consignment procedure, the consignment process for road art. At Kissimmee or any other live auction you hold that’s different than me come on time, right?

Melissa Smith: Yes, it is. There is an entry fee based on what day that you would want your road art to sell in Kissimmee, and there are minimum sellers commission for each day as well. That is available. Online, all the details are there, and we’ve got an amazing road art team that is eager and ready to review any incoming consignments.

And if you can’t get it ready for Kissimmee, we do have other auctions coming up in 2023 that are going to be great places to sell road art as well.

Don Weberg: You know, we see all these auctions on TV. We see these auctions everywhere, expensive, expensive, expensive, kind of exciting. Are there even items there [00:23:00] that say just.

Your average show just getting into the collector hobby, they can go there and they might find something that will fit their budget. What advice do you have for people like that?

Melissa Smith: When we take on the large collections, you know, when they’re not only the cars, the motorcycles, the tractors, everything that’s used to display in these beautiful garages and Barnes.

There’s always little knickknacks and little hidden treasures. We’re able to take these collections and offer them to the public. It does make something available to everybody. It’s not always going to be the high dollar items. You may find the bargain of the day. We certainly try to get something that is available for everybody.

Crew Chief Eric: Since we’re talking about future events like Kissimmee 2023 and other MECOM auctions, there’s so many throughout the year. And obviously there’s the road art auctions and on time is kind of this perpetually turning wheel of things that are available for people to peruse, but it’s also been an evolution, right?

As you said, it started in 2019. Here we are approaching 2023 very quickly. In that four year [00:24:00] span, it’s changed a lot from its inception to today. But what does the next four years look like or the next 10 years look like in your mind? What do you see as the future of on time? And in addition to that, what are some of the hot trends that you’re also seeing right now and going into the future?

And where do you think the market is going?

Melissa Smith: You know, it has changed a lot in the course of the last four years, and I think what this is really going to do is open our doors to be able to offer different types of hidden treasures that maybe people have been holding on to for many years and not really sure what’s the best platform for them to finally part with them.

I feel like we are opening the doors where we can come in. You can trust us. We have a dialed in team that’s ready to really do the research, do the work, be able to offer these little hidden treasures to the public. It’s fascinating to see what people do collect, and you never know. There are so many opportunities out there for us, and I’m [00:25:00] really excited to see what the next four years look like, and beyond.

Crew Chief Eric: Do you think you’ll see a time in which on time is selling cars as well?

Melissa Smith: Well, not yet. That’s not to say that it won’t happen. You know, now that we do have our own division, you know, we may test the waters, we may do some new, fun, exciting things, we’ll see what is yet to come. We’ve got some amazing collections that are not cars coming up on the horizon.

And we’ll see, you never know. We’re hoping to expand our offerings, offer more things beyond the Realm, so to speak, and it just gives us a good platform and a good place to start now that we are expanding our MECUM on time division. We just recently remodeled a warehouse close to the MECUM headquarters in Wisconsin.

We’re really fortunate that we have hired a full time staff that we have working every day diligently doing the inventory. [00:26:00] Describing, we have an in house photographer and all the way up into shipping and sending it out to the buyers. We’re really an all inclusive place where everything is meticulously gone through research, taken care of, and just gives us an opportunity to take our time with it, offer more information to our buyers.

We just really want to gain the trust. In not only sellers with these large collections, as well as the buyers on the final end of it, the collection that we have right now, like I mentioned, was from Jim’s forever out of Menden, Ohio. It was over 10, 000 items that we picked up from Ohio brought to our warehouse.

Went through each item that this family collected for over 60 years, you know, and in the matter of just a few weeks, our team was able to really get in, dissect, and create an inventory and offer different auctions and different opportunities for bidders to own a piece of this [00:27:00] collection.

Crew Chief Eric: So I hear it all the time from friends.

Well, I’m going to hang on to this until the value goes up. There’s all this prospecting is the word I’d like to use when it comes to when they should consign an item. But in your professional opinion, looking at all these different auctions that happen, is there really a right time or should you just get it done before it’s too late?

Melissa Smith: Only, you know, when it’s the right time, but I feel like now is the best time if we have a chance to share these collections with a multitude of people. And what we’ve seen in the past too, as people decide, you know, they get older, they move on, their families may not want to take care of these big collections when something may happen.

And a lot of times people that have these large collections, they want to see themselves. They want to see their history, where these pieces have come and where the future is for them. They like to see the change of hands. They like to see that things that they’ve enjoyed for all these [00:28:00] years are now being offered to other people so that they too can enjoy them, treasure, share, and create the new stories and that they always continue to live on.

Crew Chief Eric: We’ve compared and contrasted both RoadArt and OnTime several times throughout this episode. So one more, as we talk about futures and trending. Are you seeing, or do you think there will be a swing in either direction? Are more people buying RoadArt right now, or they’re buying more from OnTime? Is it 50 50?

Do you see the two maybe sort of just blending together in the future? What are your thoughts on that?

Melissa Smith: I do think we will continue to blend together. The best way to do something like this is through a dedicated team and between the road art team, the on time team and everyone at Mecum Auction, working together is the key to making all of this work.

Personally, I’m super proud to be part of it, working with some of the most fascinating people I’ve ever worked with. We have a big overlap of [00:29:00] customers that are buying on all the different platforms. They want a little piece of kind of everything. We’ll continue to strive to be the best and continue to work together in order to ultimately make the consigner happy and be able to share these pieces of history with many people.

Crew Chief Eric: Melissa, we’ve reached that part of the episode in which I like to ask my guests, are there any shoutouts, promotions, or anything else you’d like to share that we haven’t covered thus far?

Melissa Smith: I’m really, really proud of the team that I’ve been a part of for all of these years and really looking forward to see the growth and the potential of everything that we have.

You know, our road art team, the on time team, they’re spending countless hours. Weeks, months on the road, curating, collecting these collections for us to really be able to share them with the world. They really do make us look good by all the hard work that they’re doing. Hats off to the team that is behind all of this and really doing the hard work because without them, we couldn’t make this [00:30:00] possible.

So it’s really exciting to be part of this exciting to be part of MECUM auctions and, you know, really looking forward to what’s in our future.

Don Weberg: Nobody sells more than MECUM. Nobody. MECUM Auctions is the world’s leader of collector car, vintage and antique motorcycle and road art sales, hosting auctions throughout the United States.

The company has specialized in the sale of collector cars for more than 35 years, now offering more than 22, 000 lots per year and averaging more than one auction per month. MECUM Auctions is headquartered in Walworth, Wisconsin, and since 2011 has been ranked number one in the world with the number of collector cars offered at auction and is host to the world’s largest collector car auction held annually in Kissimmee, Florida, as well as the largest motorcycle auction held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada.

MECUM’s Road Art and MECUM on Time divisions offer a wide [00:31:00] variety of collectibles for live and online auctions. You can learn more and follow MECUM and their upcoming events at www. MECUM. com or you can follow them on social at MECUM Auction on Facebook at MECUM underscore auctions on Instagram.

at MECUM on Twitter and at MECUM Auction on YouTube.

Crew Chief Eric: Thanks, Don. And with that, Melissa, I can’t thank you enough for coming on BreakFix, and I have to say, I wish I knew this was a thing sooner because it would have made Christmas shopping a heck of a lot easier. Is an awesome thing that MECUM is providing to the entire car hobbyist community and that we can pick up things that we like, whether it’s that memorabilia and that Petroliana and those collectibles through road art, or if we’re trying to even unload our massive collection of hot wheels and die cast that are taking a valuable space in our garages through the on time system or anything in between.

I love this interchange within the community, being able to make a [00:32:00] digital. Some of us are still cool. Let’s say participating in our own self imposed travel restrictions and getting to different places is tough and making this available digitally is awesome. So I appreciate everything you guys are doing and make them and especially the job you have at hand directing all of the work over at on time.

So again, thank you for sharing all this information with us and coming on the show.

Melissa Smith: Well, thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it. Pack your bags, buy your flight. Get to Kissimmee. It’s going to be something you definitely don’t want to miss. We’re slated to have almost 4, 000 cars, if not more.

So, it’s going to be jam packed every day. You know, just make sure we can get everyone to Florida and spend some time in Kissimmee in January. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thanks. Thanks. Bye bye.

Don Weberg: The following episode is brought to us in part by Garage Style Magazine. Since 2007, Garage Style Magazine has been the definitive source for car collectors [00:33:00] continually delivering information about automobilia, petroliana, events, and more. To learn more about the annual publication and its new website, visit Be sure to follow them on social media at Garage Style Magazine or log onto www.garagestylemagazine.com because after all, what doesn’t belong in your garage.

Crew Chief Brad: If you like what you’ve heard and want to learn more about gtm, be sure to check us out on www.gt motorsports.org. You can also find us on Instagram at Grand Tour Motorsports. Also, if you want to get involved or have suggestions for future shows. You can call or text us at 202 630 1770 or send us an email at crewchief at gtmotorsports.

org. We’d love to hear from you.

Crew Chief Eric: Hey everybody, Crew Chief Eric here. We really hope you enjoyed this episode of BreakFix, and we wanted to remind you that GTM remains a no annual fees organization. And [00:34:00] our goal is to continue to bring you quality episodes like this one at no charge. As a loyal listener, please consider subscribing to our Patreon for bonus and behind the scenes content, extra goodies, and GTM swag.

For as little as 2. 50 a month, you can keep our developers, writers, editors, casters, and other volunteers fed on their strict diet of Fig Newtons, Gummy Bears, and Monster. Consider signing up for Patreon today at www. patreon. com. patreon. com forward slash GT Motorsports and remember without fans, supporters, and members like you, none of this would be possible.

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

• 00:00 Introduction to Break/Fix Podcast
• 00:25 Sponsor Message: Garage Style Magazine
• 00:57 MECUM Auctions: A Family Legacy
• 01:56 Introducing Melissa Smith and MECUM On Time
• 02:07 Exploring MECUM Road Art
• 03:58 The Birth of MECUM On Time
• 06:15 How MECUM On Time Works
• 07:18 Consigning and Buying with MECUM On Time
• 09:07 Future of MECUM On Time and Road Art
• 19:03 Kissimmee 2023 and Upcoming Events
• 29:20 Final Thoughts and Farewell

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