Crowds descend on Cheffins Harrogate Vintage Sale as auction tops £420,000

The annual Cheffins Harrogate Vintage Sale attracted vast crowds as over 600 lots of historic and rare items went under the hammer at the Great Yorkshire Showground on Saturday 21st August.
John Deere 2650John Deere 2650
John Deere 2650

Following a break in the annual auction last year due to Covid-19, the sale saw large crowds and grossed over £420,000 at the largest auction of its type in the Northern Counties.

Amongst the 100 vintage and classic tractors on offer, 80 per cent found new homes with the top price being £17,490 for a 1949 Field Marshall series two contractors’ model which had seen only two owners from new.

This was followed by a 1993 John Deere 2650 4wd which sold for £15,105. Classic Fords were also in demand with a 1988 Ford 6610 Super Q selling for £14,840; a 1990 Ford 4630 4wd with only 1500 hours on the clock made £14,840; a Ford 6640 SLE made £14,620 whilst a 1969 Ford 5000 which had been fully restored made £14,300.

Field MarshallField Marshall
Field Marshall

The sale also saw a strong entry of stationary engines from a single owner collection.

The top price for these was £6,600 for a 1910 Campbell 2.5 horsepower engine. Amongst the implements, a Ferguson three-ton tipping trailer made £1,650.

Also on offer at the sale was a variety of bygones, collectables and related spares, with some top prices paid for enamel signs and other automobilia items, with top lots including a front nose cone for a Fordson Major which made a stunning £820, a pair of Ford 5000 mudguards which eventually were knocked down for a mighty £1190, Massey Ferguson wheel weights at £615.

Bill King, Chairman at Cheffins says: “It was great to be back at the Harrogate Vintage Sale following a break in the event last year.

Ford 5000Ford 5000
Ford 5000

“We saw a quality entry, making this one of the best sales in recent memory as both buyers and sellers looked to make the most of this major auction.

“We saw a good crowd of buyers on site at the Yorkshire Showground who helped to create a buzzing atmosphere throughout all sections of the auction, whilst online bidders who joined us live accounted for 25 per cent of sales.

“As can be seen from the prices achieved, later classic tractors continue to be very much in demand, with Ford examples from the 1980s and 1990s all finding new homes with collectors and enthusiasts from across the UK and further afield.

“The Yorkshire Showground is a consistently fantastic venue from which to hold this event, with the open sided buildings helping to keep everything under cover and the rain off the bidders in attendance.

“We will look forward to heading up to Harrogate again next summer, and in the meantime, hope to see as many of our regular buyers at the next Cheffins Vintage sale at Sutton in October.”

The next vintage sale will take place on the 23rd October, 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.

All results reported are total prices, inclusive of commission rates which are as follows:

Tractors and vehicles – 6 per cent plus VAT

Motorcycles – 8 per cent plus VAT

All other items – 10 per cent plus VAT