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#188, Broadcaster John Kraman talks Mecum Auctions

James Raia

The mix of the Mecum Auctioms during Monterey Auto Week. Image © Bruce Aldrich/2018.

John Kraman spends his work career immersed in automotive auctions. He’s the lead TV commentator and analyst for NBCSN during Mecum Auction broadcasts. He can barely curb his enthusiasm.

There’s no doubt the broadcaster is ready for the return of the three-day Mecum Auction during Classic Car Week beginning Aug. 12.

A vintage Rolls-Royce on the carpet during the Mecum Auctions three-day sale in Monterey Auto Week.
A vintage Rolls-Royce on the carpet during the Mecum Auctions three-day sale in Monterey Auto Week. Image © James Raia/2018.

Kraman is my guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-host Bruce Aldrich is on vacation, so Kraman and I discuss the upcoming Mecum Auction during Monterey Auto Week.

“This pandemic really hasn’t slowed us down,” said Kraman. “We have been on the go. Our foot has been on the gas pedal, making adjustments to scheduling and having some safety issues we’ve had to deal with at the venues.

Mecum Auctions Monterey: “Reset the Bar.”

“It looks like a lot of that has started to relax a bit and we are starting to get back to the way things used to be. I have to tell you, man, the upcoming Monterey auction is really about to reset the bar. It’s such a high profile and important event.”

Mecum Auctions will return to Monterey following a late July auction in Orlando, Florida. Mecum calls the occasion a “pickup auction.”

The mix of the Mecum Auctions during Monterey Auto Week. Image © Bruce Aldrich/2018.
The mix of a sale at Mecum Auctions during Monterey Auto Week. Image © Bruce Aldrich/2018.

In previous years, the time slot would be reserved for an auction in Harrisburg, Pa. The city plans to return to the Mecum Auctions auction rotation in 2022.

“I have to confess, I have to tell you as much excitement as there is toward Orlando, it’s really all about Monterey in my mind at this point,” said Kraman.

Mecum’s auction at the Hyatt Regency is among its smallest with 600 vehicles. But its average price per sale is annually the company’s highest.

Kraman is my guest for third time. Here are links to previous occasions:

Episode #95: Mecum Auctions defines fun during Monterey Auto Week

Episode #45: Fast and Furious Monterey Auctions returns to Monterey

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The podcast is in its third year, and we’ve had a diverse collection of guests — famous athletes, vintage car collectors, manufacturer CEOs, automotive book authors, industry analysts, a movie stuntman and episodes from auto shows and car auctions.

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Article Last Updated: July 13, 2021.

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