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Rex Trailer memorabilia rides into sunset at Kaminski auction

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
TV cowboy Rex Trailer rode high in this saddle, which sold for $4,200. Kaminski Auctions image
TV cowboy Rex Trailer rode high in this saddle, which sold for $4,200. Kaminski Auctions image

BEVERLY, Mass. – Rex Trailer fans turned out in force to honor their beloved Boston TV cowboy as Kaminski Auctions featured a collection of Rex Trailer and Boomtown memorabilia in the first session of their May 31st auction. LiveAuctioneers.com provide absentee and Internet live biddings.

A targeted press and social media campaign and a new Rex Trailer Facebook page brought members of his fan club to the auction gallery for preview and to bid in person. They also lit up the Internet with plenty of online bidding.

Trailer’s hand-tooled parade saddle (above) was the top selling lot, bringing $4,200, and his personal 1997 Gibson acoustic guitar sold to a Boston business personality for $3,240. The other assorted lots of the long running shows memorabilia surprised everyone, by selling well above auction estimates.  It was a wonderful tribute to a great man and a local Boston legend.

Cowboy Rex Trailer hosted several shows on WPTZ in Philadelphia before moving to the Boston market, where he became a mainstay on local TV. He's pictured riding Goldrush in a personal appearance in the 1950s. Kaminski Auctions image
Cowboy Rex Trailer hosted several shows on WPTZ in Philadelphia before moving to the Boston market, where he became a mainstay on local TV. He’s pictured riding Goldrush in a personal appearance in the 1950s. Kaminski Auctions image

Session two featured a collection of war medals. A Pour le Mérite Blue Max medal sold for a staggering $28,800. The rare medal was awarded for both military and civil service and was an order of merit established by King Frederick II of Prussia in 1740. During World War I it was awarded to commanders on all fronts and in all branches of military service. Max Immelman, a fighter pilot who brought down eight enemy aircraft was the first to receive the award; thus the name for its blue color, and Max, the first recipient. Measuring 2 1/2 inches overall, the Pour le Mérite (Blue Max) medal in the Kaminski sale had been awarded to Lt. Hans Klein by the German Emperor and King of Prussia for bravery and 22 kills during his service in “The Flying Circus.”

Once awarded to a German flying ace, the Pour le Merite Blue Max medal sold for $28,800. Kaminski Auctions image
Once awarded to a German flying ace, the Pour le Merite Blue Max medal sold for $28,800. Kaminski Auctions image

All prices stated include 20 percent buyer’s premium.

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.