Rich Penn Joins Morphy’s

Renowned Iowa auction company CEO and antique advertising specialist Rich Penn has joined Morphy Auctions in the newly-created role of Market Development Officer.

From his base in Waterloo, Iowa, Penn will work in tandem with Morphy’s marketing team and advise on the latest technological innovations as they apply to the auction process. Additionally, he will work with consignors whose collections incorporate various categories, including antique advertising, toys and country store antiques, classic cars and petroliana, sports memorabilia, and other collectibles categories.

In 1999, Penn and his wife, Sharon, opened Rich Penn Auctions, a collector-focused business that gained a large and loyal following and earned national acclaim along the way.
As part of the newly-forged agreement, Rich Penn Auctions will continue to conduct online-only timed auctions, but not their traditional cataloged auctions. Their last such auction will be held live at Penn’s Iowa venue on May 17-19. “Tentatively, we will shift our business gears this summer, following that final live gallery auction,” Rich Penn said.

The new union will be further cemented Dec. 6-8 in Las Vegas when Morphy’s launches its series of sales featuring Rich and Sharon Penn’s acclaimed personal collection.

“Morphy’s has been in our trust planning from the beginning,” Rich Penn said. “We knew no one else could handle the auction of our collection like Dan. But it’s happening now, and best of all, we get to see it happen!”

The Penns have been active antique lovers for decades. While in college, they collected, bought, and sold antiques to help pay for college expenses. That’s when they started collecting country store advertising and coin-operated machines.

“Rich and Sharon Penn have spent many years putting together a collection that is unquestionably one of the finest of its type,” Dan Morphy, founder and president of Morphy Auctions, said. “I’m excited to have the privilege of bringing this unique collection to the market and am even more excited about our future prospects with Rich Penn involved in his new key role at Morphy’s.”

Rich Penn, who joins Morphy Auctions in the newly-created role of Market Development Officer, and his wife Sharon Penn.

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