Cheffins is reporting the most successful Harrogate Vintage Sale since 1997, with more than £800,000 of vintage tractors, agricultural machinery and collectors’ items sold.
The sale took place on the 19th of August at the Great Yorkshire Showground, with more than 1,000 lots going under the hammer. This included 160 tractors, with £53,000 paid for a 1985 Mercedes MB Trac 1500, with a second unit from 1980 selling for £36,500. Both were sold to UK collectors.
A 1972 Massey Ferguson 20 Multi-Power achieved £31,500 against an estimate of between £9,000 and £11,000, sold to an enthusiast from Yorkshire. From the same collection, a 1968 Massey Ferguson 178 sold for £23,000.
There was also a large collection of Fordson tractors, consigned from North Wales, including an original 1959 Fordson Power Major that sold for a record £17,500. Other classic tractors also achieved strong prices, with a 1986 John Deere 4850 selling for £27,000, a 1985 International 1255XL selling for £26,000 and a 1991 Ford 8830 selling for £21,000.
Collectors’ items included a road marker sign for Masham, Hilton and Richmond, which sold for £1,600, while an Aermotor Chicago stationary engine achieved £1,700. Other spares and implements also saw high demand, including a restored Ferguson 30cwt trailer which sold for £4,800 and a Ferguson Hammermill which sold for £2,100. Strong prices were also reported for period wheels and tyres.
Oliver Godfrey, head of the Machinery Division at Cheffins said: “The trade at the Harrogate Vintage Sale confirmed the ongoing health of the vintage market. With the later classic tractors continuing to pull buyers’ focus, high prices were achieved across the board as a number of new enthusiasts enter the market and existing collectors look to expand their stock.
“Maybe it is just that plenty of people love a tractor, but despite the effects of inflation and the cost of living crisis, vintage tractor collectors are continuing to plough investment into agricultural machinery for pension growth and, hopefully, guaranteed returns. We saw one of the largest crowds at Harrogate we have seen at that sale since we started it in 1997, and with the sun shining there was a wonderful atmosphere at the Great Yorkshire Showground.”
For more information go to www.cheffins.co.uk
