They Came, They Saw, They Bought It

Eight steam engines, 270 tractors, 16 vehicles and 35 motorcycles, 2,600 lots in total, a busy day ahead in the saleground. A super 1976 Morris Mini pick-up which flew to £4,000 set the tone, other top lots included an original 1929 Ford AA pick-up from the Ullmann collection which hit the button at £7,700, a 1960 Austin KKF flatbed lorry made £5,100 and a well presented 1985 Seddon Atkinson 401 at £4,800. The steam section was dominated by the 7 engines from the John Ullmann collection. First was the 1928 Aveling & Porter 12ton roller ‘Robert The Devil’ taking £15,500, next was an 1890 Aveling & Porter 15ton roller ‘Folkstone Roll’ which steamed to £21,000 then the 12ton roller ‘Stortford Roll’ sold at £24,000. From the same stable was a 1930 Wallis & Steevens 8ton Advance roller making a strong £17,000. The 1931 Garrett traction engine ‘Rob Roy’ was a fine engine with real presence, it raced to a reserve busting £128,000 taking top price of the day. Two more engines from the same collection, a 1931 Sentinel DG4 Undertype steam tractor and Foden 5ton Overtype steam wagon took £98,000 a piece. The beautifully restored Foden 5ton Colonial steam wagon ‘Isabella’ didn’t sell but is bound to cause some post sale interest. The tractor section saw an excellent entry with many of the popular modern classics making an appearance. A super little 1938 Ferguson Brown Type A in earlier restored condition shattered the reserve at £11,700, whilst a straight 1957 David Brown 50D found a new home at a £19,500. Top tractor price went to the 1915 Overtime Model R at an impressive £33,500. A 1920’s Vickers 22-40 made a healthy £14,000 and the 1983 Jewelltrac 116 sold post sale for £19,000. Other results include a 1949 Field Marshall S.III at £16,500, 1958 Massey Ferguson 65 4wd £16,750, a 1,000 hours 1975 Massey Ferguson 148 MP romped to a massive £13,000 and an imported 135 4wd took £8,750. A good 1919 IH Titan 10/20 made £11,200 whilst a 1948 Field Marshall S.II Contractors took £14,000 and an exceptional early 1956 Marshall Fowler 48hp crawler took £8,200. An imposing David Brown 1200 4wd fetched £10,000 and a Massey 148 Multi-Power ex-farm example with only 2,200 hours sold for a healthy £6,400. The last TD6 off the production line with just 1,000 hours sold at a resounding £7,000. Highlights in the implement section included an IH 4furrow conventional plough at £500, Ransomes TS82 at £730, an IH 2furrow ride on plough made £1,100 and a straight Ransomes RSLD No.13 trailed 2furrow reached £1,000 Top honours went to a very tidy Ferguson hammer mill at a tremendous £2,400. Sale 1 in the building, started with a large quantity of period literature, two Wallis tractor brochures made £290 and a Massey Harris GP 4WD fold-out took £150 whilst an Austin Farm Tractor owner’s handbook sold for £200. Later in the sale The Ferguson System came to the fore in the form of three enamel lapel badges for £310 and a superb pair of enamelled silver cufflinks, hallmarked 1951, sending collectors into a frenzy and eventually changing cuffs for £680. A nice original James Smyth poster sold at £340 and preceeded the model section where a 6inch scale Burrell Showmans Scenic engine, consigned from the estate of the late John Ullmann, took top price at a fine £35,000 whilst a 1/10th scale example made £1,450. Equally impressive in its own way was the Nuffield 10/42 sectioned demonstration model, fully motorised and a real draw for collectors and museums alike selling for £4,100. Sale 2 in the marquee had a fine array of motoring literature to whet the appetite and principal amongst these were six pre WW1 FN motorcycle brochures at £300, a 1924 Smiths Motor Accessories catalogue for £160, a collection of early 3-wheeler brochures took £200 whilst a 1926 Mercedes Supercharger catalogue romped away to £420 and two early TT issues (1913 & 1914) of MotorCycling achieved £210. In the spares section two early Yamaha front wheels with 4 leading shoe brakes sold for £800 and £860 respectively whilst a 1927 Sturmey Archer gearbox changed cogs at £320. A myriad of early motorcycle spares changed hands in the £150 - £400 bracket and the enthusiasm was maintained in all sections with two early hand crank petrol pumps filling up at £500 and £430 each with a Pratts petrol pump globe topping out at £250. The motorcycle section saw a very healthy 70% sale rate with the principal machine, a 1958 Norvin Special, failing to sell under the hammer but selling on the provisional bid of £21,000 immediately after. A 1932 Sunbeam Lion sold for £4,900 and a majestic 1973 Yamaha FS1-E, totally original, sold to a beaming new owner for £1,900, a 1955 Triumph Tiger Cub made a very healthy £2,100, British lightweights are definitely on the move. The strength of pre-war machines was proved by the £4,100 paid for a 1927 Sunbeam Model 1 and the £3,300 for the remains of a 1938 Ariel 4G that had been much abused and altered, whilst a 1933 BSA 600cc Sloper requiring a lifetime of work took a healthy £3,500. More modern machines were also sought after, an unused 1981Benelli 354 sold for £3,000 and a 1987 “Wurlitzer on wheels” Honda Goldwing 1200 made a large man very happy at £3,000. Included in the sale were two very interesting vehicles from opposite ends of the spectrum, the first, a 1959 BMW Issetta “Bubble Car” with just two owners from new but requiring some tidying up, saw protracted bidding, a rare 4 wheel variant that eventually sold for £6,000. The second was a 1934 Lagonda M45, a true barn find that still wore its 1953 tax disc and was complete and original in all respects, this rakish sports car drew world wide attention before the sale and consequently all telephone lines were booked. However, bidders in the room gave them no chance, quick and certain bidding saw the hammer fall at £68,000 and the first change of ownership for 59 years. With excellent trade for vintage and classic vehicles of all types at a 70% success rate, Cheffins again brought the right people to the right place.