Devon auction proves the cream of the crop

Freak hailstorms and flash flooding did nothing to deter auctioneers Brown & Co from conducting a landmark sale.

The UK’s largest ever unreserved auction of modern agricultural machinery - which took place at Yarcombe near Honiton on Thursday 30 October - exceeded all expectations in terms of prices achieved and attendance on the day. The sale was held on behalf of West Country agricultural business Curtis Contractors and conducted by auctioneers Brown & Co.

"It has certainly proved to be the highest value dispersal sale of its kind," said Brown & Co auctioneer Ken Pritchard. "The crowd of nearly 2000 people were eager to purchase the exceptionally new equipment on offer."

Purchasers came from across the UK as well as many from overseas including Southern Ireland, Germany, Holland, Austria and Belgium.

The highest bid of the day was for a 2007 Claas Jaguar 890 forager which sold for £102,000. From the selection of nine 2008 Fendt tractors on offer, the highest bid was for a Fendt 930 at £97,600, 820’s sold to £69,000 and 718’s to £59,100. The 2004 Class Lexion 560TT is heading for Scotland at £101,000 whilst the 2002 Lexion 430 at £49,500 and the 1998 Lexion 450 at £48,000 have both found homes abroad.

Other notable prices include: McConnell PA55E hedge cutter £10,100, 2008 Vaderstad RP400 drill £31,000, 2008 Kuhn 3 metre power harrow combination £16,000, 1998 Veenhuis slurry tanker £20,000.

"The success of this sale reinforces the importance of both presentation and marketing," said Mr Pritchard.