Sweet and Super Rare Crocker Twin Up for Auction
Only built in small numbers between 1935 and 1940, Crocker Twins are among the rarest American motorcycles on the planet
An extremely rare and sought-after American V-twin is heading to auction in February 2025, as an ex-Ernie Skelton 1938 Crocker Twin joins the Mecum Las Vegas sale.
You are forgiven if you’ve not heard of the small American motorcycle brand in question here, as Crocker had a short but important role in the history of motorcycles in the United States. The company began life as an aftermarket parts supplier, making mostly accessories for Indian motorcycles. These products included conversion kits for Indian V-twins, which were mostly used for flat-track racing.
The success of these OHV kits led to the company’s founder, Albert Crocker designing and building his own speedway bike, the success of this led Crocker to develop the OHV V-twin that eventually landed in the motorcycle you can see here. Crocker Twins are thought to have only been built between 1935 and 1940, and unlike Harley-Davidson and Indian, who at the time could have produced tens of thousands of bikes in that time, Crocker's small manufacturing base, and a reliance on outsourcing the production of parts, meant that an estimated 200 examples were ever built.
And it’s this rarity that makes these bikes so eye-catching to collectors, and the main reason they can change hands for phenomenal sums of money. Looking at recent auction results, a Crocker ‘Big Tank’ sold for $230,000 (£182,000) in 2007, although that is small-change compared to the 1936 Crocker ‘Small Tank’, which sold in the Mecum Monterey Auction 2019, with the hammer falling at $750,000 (£594,000)!
There is no reason from looking at the listing to say that this bike won’t do just as well as that, being a beautifully preserved example, that is being sourced from a notable private collection. Moreover, this machine has also been owned by the notable Crocker specialist Ernie Skelton, and it’s this connection to Skelton (and the overall condition of the machine) that could see the price of the bike rocket.
The Mecum Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction is taking place on February 1 2025. The Crocker Twin (Lot No. 46) is being sold for no reserves and the full listing can be viewed here.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
