A Scud missile being used during an exercise in 1997
Ever dreamed of owning a Scud missile? Save your pennies, because one of the last privately owned Scuds in the United States will be auctioned to the public next month.
The Scud-A (with inoperable missile) is among more than 100 military vehicles including armoured personnel carriers, Howitzers, and Panzer and Sherman tanks to be sold by Auctions America July 11 to 12 in Portola Valley, south of San Francisco.
They are among 240 military vehicles and other equipment dating back as far as World War One that are believed to comprise the world's largest private military collection, amassed by the late California engineer and history buff Jacques M Littlefield.
They now belong to the Collings Foundation, which will use auction proceeds to fund a military museum in Massachusetts that will include 70 of Littlefield's vehicles, including a Scud-B.
"There's something for everyone," said foundation executive director Rob Collings, who expects sales prices to range from $2,000 to as much as $2.6 million for a Panzerkampfwagen IV, a World War Two German tank that was later used by Syria in the 1967 Middle East War and captured by Israel.
The Scud-A, a class of ballistic missile of Soviet provenance developed in the 1950s, will likely sell for close to $300,000, he said, without giving any details on how the missile was acquired or from whom.
Collings and the auction company have received inquiries from friendly foreign governments seeking equipment for training purposes as well as from an unnamed king, unnamed billionaires and collectors.
Some "grandparents think it might be fun to have a tank for the grandkids to climb on," Collings said. "They're a neat piece of history."
Most vehicles still run, but have been modified so they cannot be used as weapons. A dozen, however - including three Howitzers - are considered "Destructive Devices" by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, meaning they could be used or easily converted as weapons.
Purchasers must either eliminate destructive capabilities or register with the ATF, and comply with all other federal and state regulations, depending on where the vehicles end up.
One other caveat from the auction catalogue: All lots are for off-highway use.
© Thomson Reuters 2014