Mecum Auctions
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersWalworth, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Mecum Auctions firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mecum Auctions
- Legal name
- Mecum Auctions Inc.
- Website
- https://mecum.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mecum Auctions industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Collector Car Auctions
- NAICS
- Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers (441), Used Car Dealers (441120)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Motor Vehicles & Motor Vehicle Parts & Supplies (5010)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wholesale Vehicle Auctions (Physical & Online) (TLABAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Auction-based Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAC)
Keywords
Where Mecum Auctions is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Walworth
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mecum Auctions business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Buyer Premium: Percentage added to hammer price paid by buyers. Collector Cars/Motorcycles: 10% in-person, 12% telephone/internet. Minimum premiums: $1,000 for vehicles, $500 for motorcycles. Road Art: 20% in-person, 22% telephone/internet.
- Seller Commission: Commission charged to sellers when vehicles are sold. Rates: 6% for no-reserve listings, 10% for reserve listings.
- Consignment Entry Fees: Non-refundable fees for listing vehicles. Collector Car/Motorcycle: $350-$1,000. Road Art: $100 (no reserve) to $250 (reserve). No-reserve listings receive 50% discount on entry fee.
- Spectator Tickets: Admission tickets for auction spectators. 1-day ticket: $30, 3-day ticket: $75 (prices exclude taxes and fees).
- ESPN+ Broadcast Rights: Mecum auctions are broadcast on ESPN+ with professional commentary, generating revenue through broadcast licensing and driving paid subscription viewership.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Collector Car/Motorcycle Buyer Premium - In Person |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Collector Car/Motorcycle Buyer Premium - Remote |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Road Art Buyer Premium |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Seller Commission - No Reserve |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Seller Commission - Reserve |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Consignment Entry Fee - Vehicles |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Spectator Tickets |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Mecum Auctions product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mecum Auctions operates one of the world's largest collector car auction companies, conducting live in-person auction events and online timed auctions for classic and collector cars, motorcycles, tractors, and road art. The company also provides an integrated ecosystem of ancillary services including consignment, in-house financing, vehicle transport, restoration and detailing, automotive photography, and broadcast coverage through partnerships with ESPN+ and Mecum TV to reach a global bidder base.
Product overview
Mecum Auctions operates as a diversified auction platform offering multiple collector vehicle and memorabilia categories. The core offering consists of Collector Cars, Motorcycles, Road Art (automotive memorabilia), Tractors, and On Time (online timed) Auctions. These are complemented by a suite of ancillary services including Mecum Financial Services for financing, Mecum Auto Transport for logistics, Estate Services for collection sales, Bid Goes On for post-auction sales continuation, and Auction Detailing and Photography services. The company also provides broadcast viewing options through Live Block Cam, ESPN+ streaming, and Mecum TV on streaming platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Mecum Financial Services: In-house financing services for collector car and motorcycle purchases through partner lenders, offering pre-approved lines of credit for auction bidders.
- Mecum Auto Transport
- On Time Auctions
- Gone Farmin' (Tractors)
Products and services
- Collector Car Auctions
Quantifiable outcome
- Average sale price of $144,161 at January 2026 auctions, up 71%
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Mecum Auctions
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Mecum Auctions technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Mecum Auctions partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Curing Kids CancercoreMecum partnership with Curing Kids Cancer began August 2012. Dana Mecum and family adopted CKC as their charity of choice. Mecum customers have raised more than $15 million over 11 years through auction consignments and donations. Mecum sells vehicles for CKC without charging usual fees.
- NHRA (National Hot Rod Association)minorMecum Mobile Experience participates at NHRA events including the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, OH. Provides brand visibility at drag racing events.
- SEMA ShowminorMecum Mobile Experience trailer activates at SEMA Show, the premier automotive specialty products trade show.
- Wellborn Musclecar MuseumminorListed as Friend of Mecum - an automotive museum partner that Mecum supports through the Mobile Experience program.
- Bloomington Gold Corvettes USAminorListed as Friend of Mecum - premier Corvette certification and show organization.
- Muscle Car & Corvette Nationals (MCACN)minorListed as Friend of Mecum - major muscle car and Corvette national show event.
- National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS)minorListed as Friend of Mecum - Corvette restoration community organization.
- NHRA Motorsports MuseumminorListed as Friend of Mecum - motorsports museum preserving drag racing history.
- Millers at Milwaukee Vintage Indy Car EventminorListed as Friend of Mecum - vintage Indy car racing event.
- Northville Concours d'EleganceminorMecum Mobile Experience attends this Michigan concours event.
- Roush Racing / Jack RoushcoreRoush Automotive Collection being auctioned exclusively at Mecum Nashville 2026. Collection includes 32 vehicles spanning racing legends, Roush-built performance vehicles, and Ford heritage cars. Celebrates 50 years of race-inspired innovation from Roush Performance and RFK Racing.
- ESPN/ESPN+coreESPN+ broadcasts select Mecum auction coverage with full commentary and professional hosts. Separate paid subscription required. Part of Mecum's broadcast media strategy.
- YouTubecoreMecum's YouTube channel provides Live Block Cam streaming of auctions and on-demand replays 72 hours after broadcast. Free access platform for auction content.
- Roku/Prime VideominorMecum TV channel streams 24/7 on Roku and Amazon Prime Video with auction replays and featured content.
- Hyatt RegencyminorOfficial hotel partner for Mecum Monterey auction, offering elevated experience for attendees.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mecum Auctions competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- RM Sotheby's: RM Sotheby's is a leading global collector car auction house that competes head-to-head with Mecum on marquee consignments and trophy sales. Comparable transaction-fee revenue model, premium positioning, and global bidder base.
- Barrett-Jackson: Barrett-Jackson is one of the largest US collector and classic car auction operators, with a televised event-driven model (live auctions broadcast on TV) directly comparable to Mecum's ESPN+ broadcast approach and large multi-day event footprint.
- Gooding & Company: Gooding & Company is a high-end collector car auction house specializing in blue-chip consignments at events like Pebble Beach. Overlaps directly with Mecum's premium-tier auctions and supplier of similar trophy-lot consignors.
- Bonhams: Bonhams is a global traditional auction house with a substantial car department running collector car sales. Same transaction-fee model, same consignor/buyer pool, and direct overlap in high-end vintage and competition car categories.
Emerging players
- Bring a Trailer: Bring a Trailer is an online collector car auction platform that has rapidly grown into a major competitor for enthusiast-grade vehicles. Overlaps with Mecum's On Time and BidNow offerings and targets similar individual collector buyers, but operates purely online at lower scale per lot.
- Cars & Bids: Cars & Bids is an online auction platform focused on modern enthusiast vehicles (1980s-2000s). Competes with Mecum for a subset of younger-generation buyers and consignors and represents the digital-native threat to traditional live auction houses.
Broad incumbents
- Copart: Copart is the largest US online vehicle auction platform, primarily for salvage and used vehicles. Differs in segment (salvage vs. collector) but uses the same online auction infrastructure and buyer-premium model and competes for adjacent vehicle remarketing share.
- Sotheby's (parent automotive auctions): Sotheby's is a traditional global auction house with a substantial motoring department. Indirectly competes for high-end consignments and is closely tied to RM Sotheby's through ownership/operational links.
- Christie's (motoring division): Christie's runs collector car auctions as part of its broader luxury auction portfolio. Overlaps with Mecum in luxury/blue-chip collector vehicles but competes as a wide-portfolio incumbent rather than a specialized auction house.
- IAA (Insurance Auto Auctions): IAA is a large vehicle auction platform focused on insurance total-loss and used vehicles. Different segment (salvage vs. collector) but uses an analogous physical/online wholesale auction infrastructure and competes for share of vehicle remarketing demand.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights9 records
Customer concentration
Mecum Auctions social profiles
Digital presenceMecum Auctions financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mecum Auctions leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Mecum Auctions funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mecum Auctions M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mecum Auctions
What does Mecum Auctions do?
Mecum Auctions operates one of the world's largest collector car auction companies, conducting live in-person auction events and online timed auctions for classic and collector cars, motorcycles, tractors, and road art. The company also provides an integrated ecosystem of ancillary services including consignment, in-house financing, vehicle transport, restoration and detailing, automotive photography, and broadcast coverage through partnerships with ESPN+ and Mecum TV to reach a global bidder base.
Is Mecum Auctions a public or private company?
Mecum Auctions is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Mecum Auctions founded?
Mecum Auctions was founded in 2011. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Mecum Auctions based?
Mecum Auctions is headquartered in Walworth, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mecum Auctions make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Buyer Premium is the primary driver. The others are seller Commission, consignment Entry Fees, spectator Tickets and ESPN+ Broadcast Rights.
Who are Mecum Auctions's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are RM Sotheby's, Barrett-Jackson, Gooding & Company and Bonhams. Emerging players are Bring a Trailer and Cars & Bids. Broad incumbents are Copart, Sotheby's (parent automotive auctions), Christie's (motoring division) and IAA (Insurance Auto Auctions).
Does Mecum Auctions have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mecum Auctions.
What industry is Mecum Auctions in?
Mecum Auctions's product category is Collector Car Auctions. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLABAKAA, Wholesale Vehicle Auctions (Physical & Online), with a secondary code of CRAFAAAC, Auction-based Generalist Marketplaces. Its NAICS code is 441 and its SIC code is 5010.