George W. Bush truck auction to benefit Gable Museum
By Mark Palmer
Senior Writer
Intermat
A Ford pickup autographed twice by former President George W. Bush will be up for auction on Saturday ... with some of the sale proceeds designated to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Iowa.
The truck -- a white 2009 Ford 150 Super Crew 4x4 pickup in top-of-the-line King Ranch level trim -- will be auctioned Saturday, April 8, at approximately 3:30 p.m. Eastern by the prestigious classic/collectible auto auction company Barrett-Jackson at the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach, Florida. The auction will be televised live on the Velocity channel.
According to the auction house, this is the only known vehicle to have been signed twice by a U.S. president, and therefore will be the very last auction item in the three-day event featuring hundreds of rare, collectible cars and trucks, including classic 1960s and 70s muscle cars, as well as sports cars.
So how did this Ford F-150 pick-up come to be signed twice by George W. Bush, U.S. president from 2001-2009?
The truck, which had been used by Bush at his Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas after leaving the White House, was purchased by Allan Jones, the founder and CEO of Check Into Cash at the 2013 Palm Beach Barrett-Jackson auction with proceeds from that sale to benefit the National Guard Youth Foundation.
Jones, who was honored as an Outstanding American by our Tennessee Chapter, explained that after he purchased the truck in 2013, the Bush signature on the passenger side of the instrument panel was accidentally washed off during routine maintenance. When Jones realized what had happened, he asked the President if he would sign it again so that truck could be resold for charity.
"President Bush graciously agreed to help us and the rest is history," Jones said. "He autographed the F-150 in the exact same location on the right airbag panel. Once word got out, everyone wanted to know when the auction was taking place."
Jones, a long-time supporter of amateur wrestling, has designated that all the proceeds from the April 8 sale of the truck will go to two organizations that serve to grow youth wrestling: the Higher Calling Wrestling Club in Tennessee ... and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa.
Read Full Story
Senior Writer
Intermat
A Ford pickup autographed twice by former President George W. Bush will be up for auction on Saturday ... with some of the sale proceeds designated to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Iowa.
The truck -- a white 2009 Ford 150 Super Crew 4x4 pickup in top-of-the-line King Ranch level trim -- will be auctioned Saturday, April 8, at approximately 3:30 p.m. Eastern by the prestigious classic/collectible auto auction company Barrett-Jackson at the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach, Florida. The auction will be televised live on the Velocity channel.
According to the auction house, this is the only known vehicle to have been signed twice by a U.S. president, and therefore will be the very last auction item in the three-day event featuring hundreds of rare, collectible cars and trucks, including classic 1960s and 70s muscle cars, as well as sports cars.
So how did this Ford F-150 pick-up come to be signed twice by George W. Bush, U.S. president from 2001-2009?
The truck, which had been used by Bush at his Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas after leaving the White House, was purchased by Allan Jones, the founder and CEO of Check Into Cash at the 2013 Palm Beach Barrett-Jackson auction with proceeds from that sale to benefit the National Guard Youth Foundation.
Jones, who was honored as an Outstanding American by our Tennessee Chapter, explained that after he purchased the truck in 2013, the Bush signature on the passenger side of the instrument panel was accidentally washed off during routine maintenance. When Jones realized what had happened, he asked the President if he would sign it again so that truck could be resold for charity.
"President Bush graciously agreed to help us and the rest is history," Jones said. "He autographed the F-150 in the exact same location on the right airbag panel. Once word got out, everyone wanted to know when the auction was taking place."
Jones, a long-time supporter of amateur wrestling, has designated that all the proceeds from the April 8 sale of the truck will go to two organizations that serve to grow youth wrestling: the Higher Calling Wrestling Club in Tennessee ... and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa.
Read Full Story
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