Before car collecting was a business, before collector cars became a hobby, back when ´old´ cars were considered junk - that is when the passion for the ´old junkers´ took hold of Jim Leake, Sr. Finding these old cars and stockpiling them brought about one important stage in the evolution of collector cars - one of the first collector car auctions in the United States!
In 1964 the Leake family hired Park-Bernet (later to become Sotheby´s) to conduct a 1-day auction on the Leake site in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Considered a smashing success by everyone, this one event set the stage for a museum on this site and the annual collector car auction based in Tulsa.
The Antiques, Inc. Car Museum in Muskogee showcased the largest private collection of Rolls-Royces in the world. Other fabulous cars such as Isotta Fraschinis, Talbot Lagos, Duesenbergs, Packards, Ferrari´s and unusual steam and electric cars housed in their museum have made the Leakes a household name for 50 years of car collecting and expertise worldwide. In the 40 years of business three generations of Leakes have worked with collector cars. The Leakes have sold over 34,000 cars. Jim Leake, Sr. died at age 85 in July, 2001.
Today Leake Auction Company conducts several collector car auctions a year. The Leake commitment to quality, service and care have made the Tulsa Auction a leader in the industry. Held the first weekend in June, this auction is without question one of the top 5 automobile auctions in the United States. Richard Sevenoaks began his association with the Leake Auctions in 1972 and is now president of the company. Through his leadership Leake Auction has expanded operations into Texas. His wife, Nancy Leake Sevenoaks, an avid car enthusiast, is also very active in the business. In the fall of 2010, Audrey Sevenoaks-Young and her husband Ty moved to Tulsa to begin their association with the family business.
The Dallas Fall Auction, held the weekend before Thanksgiving, has shown incredible quality under Sevenoaks´ leadership and now can boast being the largest collector car auction in Texas. Leake Auction manages several additional markets including Oklahoma City.