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Denim king Robin Chretien‘s vehicular Americana collection rolls into Abell’s Feb. 29

Wyatt Barrett
Wyatt Barrett

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BELL GARDENS, Calif. — Robin Chretien may have been born in France, but his love for American iconography is unmatched. As a star in the denim apparel industry (he founded and owns Robin’s Jean in Los Angeles), he’s been able to amass a stunning and often highly eclectic collection of vehicular Americana that now comes to auction at Abell’s on Thursday, February 29. View the leap-year catalog and bid now at LiveAuctioneers.

The 231-lot sale is dominated by roadside, neon, and motorcycle artifacts, including a number of Harley-Davidson motorcycles and signs, along with original Indian motorcycle items. Catalog photos reveal that Chretien housed his collection in a large warehouse space, allowing for excellent display of each item.

Requiring a great deal of space are the two vintage billboards in the Chretien collection. The 1956 National Association for Stock Car Advancement and Research billboard shows a contemporary Cadillac test car being directed by a NASCAR employee on a test track in the desert. Mounted to six plywood panels, it’s the ultimate must-have for any NASCAR fan and probably the only survivor left. Like everything in the sale, it carries a $10-$100,000 estimate.

Purchased from the legendary Yoshi at Garage Company of Gardena, California is this purported paint test sample for the gas tank used on the chopper in Dennis Hopper’s 1969 hit Easy Rider.

Chretien is a big fan of Jackie Stanton (b. 1977-), a prolific artist based in Los Angeles whose pop culture and music sensibilities seem 100% in tune with her denim benefactor. Her Warholesque Coco-Cola Bottles from 2009, a 38.25 by 43.25in canvas on a wooden stretcher, was purchased directly from the artist.

Like any good warehouse display space, Chretien also acquired a number of very desirable and vintage neon signs. Based on early bid counts, this will likely be a dominating area of the sale. Navajo Lodge probably dates to the 1930s or 1940s and is mostly original and functional.
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1956 NASCAR six-panel billboard, estimated at $10-$100,000 at Abell.
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Jackie Stanton, ‘Coco-Cola Bottles,’ estimated at $10-$100,000 at Abell.
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Navajo Lodge neon sign, estimated at $10-$100,000 at Abell.
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Painted test gas tank for ‘Easy Rider,’ estimated at $10-$100,000 at Abell.
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