The Antique Car Museum at Georgia’s Stone Mountain Park was opened in 1963 by Tommy Protsman and his son Bobby to showcase their private collection of antiques and cars. With nearly four decades of experience under its belt, the museum housed forty antique cars and over 4000 interesting antiques. The museum included such rare cars as a 1948 Tucker and a 1928 Martin. Voted by Car Collector Magazine as one of the top ten car museums with fifty cars or less, the museum was a must see destination for all car lovers and antique connoisseurs.
Why was it that way? Because in December 2008 Bobby Protsman had to close the museum and put the entire contents up for auction. The auction is slated for March 21-22, 2009with a public viewing on March 20, 2009.
Bobby starts a 1923 Model T Roadster in the warehouse. There will be no more strolling through this amazing private collection of vintage automobiles and other memorabilia. See antique Chevys, Mustangs, even a Tucker! Reminisce over historic toys, bicycles, and jukeboxes.
Bobby is not almost 72 years old. He plans to use the auction money to travel with his wife, Ruthie. It is hard to believe that he has been operating the museum for over 46 years of his life. One of the cars for auction is a Model T owned by former Governor of Georgia, Lester Maddox, a 1955 Studebaker President Speedster, a 1966 Corvair convertible, a 1932 Packard and a 1982 Corvette.
The auction company handling the sale is Rich Penn; visit http://richpennauctions.com for more details.
There are also antiques for sale such as an antique carousel horses, giraffe, carousel running pig, VMC 33 10¢ Coca-Cola machine with attached “Colored” only and “White” only drinking fountains, a child’s Buick pedal car barbar chair from 1926, mannequins of all shapes and sizes, two antique jukeboxes from 1946 and one from 1952, a Mortier 69 key organ all hand-crafted, carved and painted, more bikes than you can shake a stick at including Harley Davidson and Schwinn.
There was only a small fee to go through the museum, but now that chance is gone. When I was growing up it was a real treat to go into the car museum located on Robert E. Lee Blvd. I’m so glad I had the chance. Now the chance is to own a piece of that history. Sure there are some expensive items but with this economy there are some good buys also. I have my eyes on some of the bargains and already a spot picked out in the garage. If I win something perhaps there can be a few tears of joy among those of sorrow that this place is now lost for my own children.
