1982 County smashes pre-sale estimate to become most expensive modern classic tractor sold to date

A 1982 County 1474 ‘Short Nose’ tractor, bought for a jaw-dropping £214,400, now holds the record for the most expensive modern classic tractor sold to date.
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The tractor smashed its pre-sale estimate when it went under the hammer at Cheffins’ first collective vintage sale of 2022

Read: Fully restored County 1474 set to sell for over £120,000 at upcoming vintage auctionMore than £2million worth of classic machinery and collectors’ items were sold at the record-breaking auction, held last Friday and Saturday at the Cheffins sale ground at Sutton, near Ely.

The sale saw over 2,800 lots go under the hammer and buyers in attendance from across the UK and Europe.

This County 1474 sold for £214,400This County 1474 sold for £214,400
This County 1474 sold for £214,400

The County 1474, with a pre-sale estimate of £120,000-140,000, sold for the highest price on the day.

Having been fully restored, the tractor saw significant pre-sale interest.

Other significant sales in the tractor section include £73,000 for a 2004 JCB 2140, against an estimate of £60-65,000; £48,240 for a 1983 Mercedes-Benz MB-Trac 1500, well over its pre-sale estimate and £42,880 for a stunning 1974 County 1164.

These were bought by collectors from across the UK and Ireland.

1983 Mercedes-Benz MB-Trac 15001983 Mercedes-Benz MB-Trac 1500
1983 Mercedes-Benz MB-Trac 1500

Another noteworthy lot was a 1956 Fowler VF Crawler, which was found in original condition having been used on the Landwade Hall Estate, near Newmarket, since new.

It sold for £16,080, against a pre-sale estimate of £6-7,000 and is a new record price for this particular model.

The sale also saw Cheffins’ largest motorbike consignment to date, with several strong prices achieved across the 80 lots offered.

A highly-collectable 1923 980cc Morgan-Darmont Sports Model three-wheeler sold for £21,920 to a buyer from Lincolnshire, whilst a P&M ‘Rob North’ Triumph T150 racing motorbike made £10,412, having been sold to a collector from Northern Ireland.

£73,000 was paid for this 2004 JCB 2140£73,000 was paid for this 2004 JCB 2140
£73,000 was paid for this 2004 JCB 2140

Other significant sales in section included £9,644 paid for a 1950 499cc Norton 500T motorbike and £8,329 for a 1952 499cc Sunbeam.

There was also an enormous consignment of automobilia on offer, with over 400 lots going under the hammer.

The highlights from the section include £5,600 for a 1930s Shell Satam cabinet two-door petrol pump; £5,376 for a Regent 100 petrol pump globe and £4,704 paid for a 1930s Dunlop air tower model, and the same price paid for a Dunlop Fort enamel sign from the 1930s.

Oliver Godfrey, head of the machinery department at Cheffins, commented: “We knew the April sale was going to be a record breaker, with a strong catalogue of varied items, however, to sell over £2m worth is bonkers!

A P&M ‘Rob North’ Triumph T150 racing motorbike made £10,412A P&M ‘Rob North’ Triumph T150 racing motorbike made £10,412
A P&M ‘Rob North’ Triumph T150 racing motorbike made £10,412

“The market is alive and well, in fact it is thriving, as collectors still have cash in the bank which they want to invest in something tangible.

“Something they can see and use and enjoy.

“Collectors are becoming younger, so the focus in the market is really on tractors and machinery from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s as they look to buy up a part of their youth.

“It is impossible to put a price on the value of nostalgia.

“Many buyers are also looking for tractors which they believe will become the next collector’s piece, and an investment which will pay dividends.

“It appears that at the moment, the market’s bets are mainly focussed on Ford variants, such as County and Roadless, which are seeing double digit price growth year-on-year.”

A highly collectable 1923 980cc Morgan-Darmont Sports Model 3-wheeler sold for £21,920A highly collectable 1923 980cc Morgan-Darmont Sports Model 3-wheeler sold for £21,920
A highly collectable 1923 980cc Morgan-Darmont Sports Model 3-wheeler sold for £21,920

Oliver continued: “It wasn’t only the tractors which made some serious money at this sale.

“The classic motorbike market is also buoyant with buyers focussing on some of the earlier models from the 1950s and 1960s, whilst the fresh-to-market automobilia items drew collectors from far and wide both to bid live and online.

“Automobilia has become a new collecting class all in itself and has seen strong growth in values as these vintage forecourt pieces become increasingly sought after.

“By hosting the sale over two days, we were able to offer live bidding on all sections and were pleased to welcome buyers old and new back to Sutton.”

The next collective sale will take place on Saturday 23 July, at Cheffins Machinery Sale Ground, Sutton, Ely, CB6 2QT.

For more information, please visit www.cheffins.co.uk, or call Cheffins auctioneers on 01353 777767.

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