Cheffins will sell an historic Suffolk-based vintage machinery collection on Saturday 21st June. The sale will include over 200 lots, including a series of high value vintage and classic tractors.
The collection was amassed by the late Roger Desborough, a well-known vintage tractor and machinery enthusiast, and will take place on the family farm in Wenhaston, near Halesworth in Suffolk. Among the collection is a 1917 Holt 75, which is one of only four examples known to exist in the UK. This iconic tractor was feted in both the UK and America and was in production from 1914 – 1924, mainly supplying the British, French, Russian and US armies during the First World War, mostly as gun tractors hauling heavy Howitzers and also as prime movers for supply trains. The current example available was originally part of the famous Heidrick Tractor Collection, which today forms the nucleus of the California Agriculture Museum. It was purchased by Roger Desborough from the Cheffins Cambridge Vintage Sale in October 2016 and carries a presale estimate of £50,000 - £60,000.
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1917 Holt 75
Another highlight of the sale is a 1919 Overtime Model N which has an estimate of £35,000 - £45,000. The Model N was first conceived in 1918 in America and more than 4,000 examples were imported to the UK from 1918 – 1923. This example is believed to be one of the oldest in existence in the country. Also, among the rare tractors is a 1917 Rumely Oil Pull 20-40, with an estimate of £20,000 - £30,000, a 1919 Saunderson model G with an estimate of £40,000 - £50,000, a 1919 International Titan 10-20, which is set to sell for £15,000 - £20,000 and a 1963 Doe Triple D Tandem tractor which carries an estimate of £40,000 - £50,000.
1919 Overtime Model N
Alongside the tractors on offer, there is a series of machinery and implements for sale and a Howitzer decommissioned artillery field gun.
Oliver Godfrey, Head of Machinery Department at Cheffins comments: “Roger Desborough was a legend on the vintage tractor circuit. His collection is known as one of the most historically significant in the country and this sale represents an incredible opportunity to acquire some genuinely important tractors which formed the basis of modern-day machinery and farming. Many have incredible provenance, having been purchased by Roger from some of the other leading collectors both in the US and the UK. We expect this sale to draw significant interest from buyers both in the UK but also across the pond, as it features some of the most significant tractors built in US engineering history, such as the Holt and the Rumely Oil Pull. While Roger had a keen eye for rarity and history and purchased a series of high value machines, he also was not averse to collecting some of the more popular classics, and there are a series of Massey Ferguson and Fordson examples also for sale in excellent condition.”
The sale will take place at Church Farm, Wenhaston, Halesworth, Suffolk on Saturday 21st June 2025 from 11am. There will be a viewing day on Friday 20th June 2025 from 10am – 4pm.
To view the catalogue, please click here
For further information, please contact the Cheffins Machinery department on 01353 777767, machinery@cheffins.co.uk