Two Wheels To The Fore

Saturday 15th October saw the final collective vintage sale of 2011 at Sutton and it proved to be yet another outstanding sale with the weather being almost as hot as the bidding! With over 2,300 lots going under the hammer and 5 rostrums operating simultaneously it was a hectic day but we can now report on some of the highlights.

A fine line up steam in the first row was well received with the magnificent Sentinel DG4 steam bus selling at £112,000, Ransomes, Simms & Jefferies 6nhp portable at £10,000 and we can now report that the Ransomes, Simms & Jefferies ‘Jubilee’ 6nhp has been sold post sale. Tractor trade was hot with a remarkable 75% of them finding new homes, top prices on the day went to the 1916/17 Huber ‘Light Four’ at £21,000, a 1921 IH Titan 10/20 sold at £13,750, the rare little Cleveland Burford topped £5,500 and a similar Burford Cletrac knocked down at £3,000. On the turn of the top row an uncommon Fordson N Roadless half track hit £5,750, Minneapolis Moline Type C at £10,500 and a super original low houred 1975 David Brown 885 vineyard took an impressive £6,800. Other highlights include a fully restored John Deere D at £6,400, McCormick Farmall M at £7,000, Fordson Super Major at £7,200 and a well restored Ford 3000 sold post sale at £9,500. Original tractors were in high demand as usual with a Massey Ferguson 590 selling at £5,900, a very original one owner 1947 Ferguson TE20 took £5,500, an original Massey Ferguson 230 at £7,800 and a very straight Ford 5000 hit £8,000.

The motorcycle section of the sale was bursting at the seams with 68 machines on offer. Sensible reserves and a good eclectic mix saw 60 sold under the hammer and a fantastic sale rate of nearly 90%. With successful bidders in the room, on the telephone and on i-bidder.com, machines were sold to America, Germany, Ireland as well as the UK. Notable sales in the section include the 1950 Vincent Comet requiring work at £9,000, a Norton Dominator with International engine needing a high degree of TLC made £7,200, a 1966 Norton Atlas took £5,300 and a stunning 1929 Raleigh Model 23 sold for a well deserved £9,700. A fine 1931 BSA L31-6 made £5,700, a very nice untouched Douglas SW/24 is heading for the States at £5,800, an absolute gem of a Gilera 175 Rossa Extra sold well at £3,600 whilst an interesting but incomplete 1932 Sunbeam Model 9 achieved £6,200. On 4 wheels a 1910 Daimler 15hp 4 seat open tourer formed the centre piece of the marquee and didn’t disappoint after a 3 way battle ended at £34,000. Amongst the other marquee offerings 6 framed Ayrton Senna photographs made £185, a most unusual Shell Lubricative Oils enamel sign sold for £720 and a very decorative skeleton fuel pump took £850. A collection of fairground memorabilia saw strong trade throughout being a complete sell out, the top two lots were a wooden motorcycle from an ark ride at £600 and a well restored Supercar Dodgem car which bumped its way to £1,200.

Sale 1 in the building boasted the usual wide mix of items and early on in the sale a pair of Massey Ferguson enamelled cuff links with matching tie pin made £460 closely followed by the Massey Harris lapel badges at £240 and the Ferguson 35 lapel badge at a huge £220. Inevitably it was the live steam models that saw the highest prices, a nice beam engine built in the 1940’s achieved £550 and a Marklin power plant with accessories made a satisfactory £700. A 3inch scale Marshall traction engine needed a winning bid of £5,400 and a 1.5inch scale Wm Allchin Royal Chester did well at £2,800 whilst a fine 1.5inch scale Fowler A class saw a winning bid of £4,000. The steam spares boasted a good pair of Eli Griffiths traction engine lamps which achieved £1,200 and a similar pair later in the sale took a higher £1,800 followed by an un-named pair with a matching rear lamp at £1,650

Implements received brisk trade with a Ransomes TS1016 at £2,600, a TS89 took £1,600, a super set of Ferguson discs sold at £1,400 and a sharp Howard Selectatilth knocked down at £900. The spares were bulging with a quality entry as usual and many were snapped up for forthcoming winter projects with a Roadless 6cylinder aluminium sump at £350, Super Major mudguards at £560, a Ford Force nose cone took £340, a Fordson Major front cowl sold at £330 and a pair of David Brown 50D engine side panels took £300. Things continued to sell well with a Fordson Major bonnet at £600, MF 65 power steering kits at £470 and £800, Fordson Major nose cone again at £510 and a MF 65 rowcrop conversion kit surprised at £1,550.

A healthy line of stationary engines was sought after with a Greens Economiser at £1,050, Marshall horizontal steam engine at £1,200, highlight of the row as a super rare 1904 Blackstone 2.5hp o/c horizontal stationary engine at £10,800 and a 1912 National Gas 6hp took £5,000.

A very encouraging sale with a high selling rate and a massive turn out on what was one of the warmest days in October. Global interest in the sale meant vendors received the widest audience possible for their lots and with a few records prices thrown in meant that they went home with big smiles on their faces. Our attention now turns to the Bristol Vintage Sale on Saturday February 2012 and should you wish to talk to an auctioneer please contact us on 01223 213777.