Global Auction Blog

From the John D Schultz Auctioneer Blog

As President of the Minnesota State Auctioneers Association, I receive a myriad of questions on an assortment of topics. Some of the questions are fairly generic, and would apply to most auctioneers. For example, this week I received the following email:
” I have always heard that we were legal to sell firearms if they are part of an estate or if the auction that we are working is a 1 party auction.
Our local sheriff called me and said that this is incorrect…any firearm that are sold at auction need to be sold under a FFL.
I called the St.Paul office of Tobacco, Firearms, etc. and visited with a gal named Mary. She again, told me that I was legal to sell as I mentioned above.
I also received a call from another auctioneer in our area - he had heard that the sheriff had visited with me…this auctioneer said that in Minnesota - you are legal to sell any firearm without running them thru an FFL. This auctioneer sells a lot of firearms..”
When I answer a question for a member, I like to provide the sources I used for my research. I believe this empowers the member to learn. It also encourages them to share the information with others, as it’s just not well I talked to this person and they said it was okay. Much of this style comes from working at the law office where I cite every thing I write.

My answer to the question: Selling Firearms at Auction: Before I answer your questions, I’ll point you to the sources I used for to obtain the answers.

The ATF provides the Federal Firearms Regulations Reference Guide online. A copy can be found here: http://www.atf.gov/pub/fire-explo_pub/2005/p53004/index.htm

Within the guide, there is a section entitled “Rulings, Procedures, and Industry Circulars” within that section is ruling 96-2 Activities of auctioneers requiring a dealer’s license. This ruling discusses at length what an auctioneer can and can’t do without a license. I’ve attached a pdf of the rulings. Ruling 96-2 is found on page 15 and 16 of the pdf, and page 133 and 134 of the document. The text of the document is informative, and somewhat lengthy. However, it finds the following:

Held: Persons who conduct estate-type auctions at which the auctioneer assists the estate in selling the estate’s firearms, and the firearms are possessed and transferred by the estate, do not require a Federal firearms license.

Held further: Persons who regularly conduct consignment-type auctions, for example, held every 1-2 months, where the auctioneer takes possession of the firearms pursuant to a consignment contract giving the auctioneer the exclusive right and authority to sell the firearms at a location, time and date to be selected by the auctioneer and providing for a commission to be paid upon sale are required to obtain a license as a dealer in firearms pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 923(a).

Hopefully this information helps. Your local sheriff appears to have provided you with incorrect information. There are instances when an auctioneer can sell firearms without a license or involving a licensee. I trust you’ll find this information helpful.

Popularity: 26% [?]

From the Kaufman Realty & Auctions Blog

On Saturday March 28 Kaufman Realty & Auctions held the Noble Trust Auction to disperse of 300 Acres, Farm Machinery and Household contents. Among the contents was a baseball signed by the Cy Young, considered by many the greatest pitcher ever in the MLB. The ball had been in the family for as long as any of the children could remember. Early estimates valued the ball at $2,000 to $3,500, in the end it sold for $5,750 to a local businessman. Check out the video at the end of this blog.

Additional Items sold included an older CAT D9 Crawler tractor that sold for $14,500.

The real estate tended towards what we have been seeing in the market place lately. The vacant acreage sold fairly well while the residential parcel was somewhat soft. Check our results page after the closing of the real estate in approximately 45 days for complete breakdown on parcel prices.

The auction season is starting to heat up be sure to check our upcoming calendar for the latest offerings or to select the date for your auction. Check back to this blog on a weekly basis as we try to keep you updated with the latest news regarding the real estate and auctions markets as well as happenings at Kaufman Realty & Auctions.

Popularity: 28% [?]

From the Kaufman Realty & Auctions Blog

It’s a great day for an auction…

Lorenz Farm Auction

Friday March 6, 2009

Sugarcreek, Ohio

Future farmer

Amish guy eavesdropping… Curt soaking in whatever wisdom old man is imparting.

True face of auctions

Wait, what was that buyer number again?

Popularity: 29% [?]

ABERDEEN-AUCTIONS
Sale March 14, 2009

CONTACT:
ALEX TURCHAK
(727) 656-2974

Aberdeen Auction Galleries of St. Petersburg, FL achieved excellent results in the March 14 online sale of European art.

(St. Petersburg, FL) – Aberdeen Auction Galleries had 118 registered bidders with LiveAuctioneers.com and another 45 registered inhouse for its online/absentee/phone sale of March 14. Auction owner Alex Turchack had assembled an inventory of 388 lots of European art, antiques and money to offer the bidders.

The top lot of the sale was a 19½ by 24in oil on canvas signed by Alexei Petrovich Bogolubov (Russian, 1824-1896). In the frame the work, entitled “Night Seascape,” measured 24½ by 28½in. After joining the Russian Navy Bogolubov attended the St Petersburg Academy of Art and became a noted landscape painter by mid century. He traveled widely in Europe settling in Paris in 1873. When he died in 1896 he left his entire fortune, around six million US dollars, to the Russian Museum and its painting school in St. Petersburg. The school was then named in his honor. This seascape, estimated at $5/8,000, sold for $12,330 including the 17.5 percent buyer’s premium, to a Massachusetts collector bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com.

Another oil on canvas, a winter scene with skaters by Morel Jan Evert Sr the Elder(Dutch 1766-1808), sold for $2,360. The 6 by 8in canvas was enclosed in an ornate 14 by 16in frame.

Two German lots invoked great interest. One was a late 17th - early 18th c. German silver and ivory tankard. The ivory body was deeply carved with a mythological scene. The scroliate silver base bears the town mark (two crossed swords) and the maker’s mark ZI (or IZ) in a rectangle. The 10½in high piece bore two more marks, a moon and a cat. It garnered over thirty bids before closing at $11,163 including premium. A pair of early German pistols attracted attention. A pair of Kuchex Ruter pistols, 1716-1758, with brass furniture and refitted percussion cap ignitions, brought a winner of $4,817 on the phone. Also of interest was a document signed by Russian Tsar Pavel I (1754-1801) only six days after ascending the throne. Dated November 18, 1796, the document puts Colonel Fedor Shavrs in charge of building the new Mikhailivsky Palace in St. Petersburg. The one page document, framed with a photo of the completed Palace, 19¼ by 12¾in, sold to an online bidder for $2,068.

Twenty lots of international paper monetary notes., mostly European, late 19th century and early 20th century, sold within estimate form $100 to $500 and four Russian gold coins also sold in estimate in the $550 to $1,000 range.

For more information about this sale and upcoming Aberdeen Auction Galleries sales visit the website at http://www.aberdeenauctiongalleries.com, email to antiques@aberdeenauctiongalleries.com, phone (727) 656-2974 or write to Aberdeen Auction Galleries, PO Box 38, Lutz, FL 33548.

Written by:
Fred Taylor
www.furnituredetective.com
800-387-6377

PHOTO CAPTIONS

“Night Seascape” by Alexei Petrovich Bogolubov (Russian, 1824-1896) $12,330.

Winter scene by Morel Jan Evert Sr the Elder. (Dutch, 1766-1808). $2,360.

German silver and ivory tankard, late 17th/early 18th century. $11,163.

A pair of Kuchex Ruter pistols, 1716-1758. $4,817.

Russian document signed by Tsar Pavel I, 1796. $2,068.

Popularity: 29% [?]

MATHESONS’ AA AUCTION
Melbourne, FL
Sale April 4,5, 2009

Over 150 lots of fine art to include many paintings acquired in the 1990s at Sotheby’s and Christie’s, and phase II of the deaccession of the Old School Square Museum plus 150 Victorian spoon warmers will cross the block April 4,5

(Melbourne, FL) Over 700 lots of fresh to the market art and antiques from six estates will be offered by Mathesons’ AA Auction in Melbourne, FL on April 4,5. The sale will be carried live online by LiveAuctioneers.com

One of the many highlights of the sale will be the important collection of silver plate spoon warmers from the Weinkle estate of Melbourne. The collection features over 150 Victorian late 19th century figural silver plate spoon warmers that were essential to the well run Victorian household where kitchens were often far from the dining room. The spoon warmers were filled with boiling water to bring serving spoons to the right temperature for serving hot food. Most of the items came from the silver vaults on Portobello Road in London. The figures depict several variations of the popular nautilus as well as fish, shoes, cannons, lions, tortoises, swans, shells and many more.

Also highlighted will be a fine art collection amassed in the early 1990s primarily at Sotheby’s and Christie’s as well as a large deaccession from the Old School Square Museum in Delray Beach, FL. The collection consists of over 150 lots of such works as the two 1817 portraits of Haitian royalty as children by Xavier Gazul, a student of Goya, the floral oil “Chardons Bleus” by Jean Leon Jansem (French born 1920), acquired at Sotheby’s in 1991 for $33,000, a maritime scene by Frank Vining Smith (American 1879-1967), a harbor scene by John Whorf (American 1903-1959) and silk screen by Raul Dufy (French 1897-1953). A list of eighty-eight artists represented in the sale, including Chagall, Gruppe, Picasso, Dali and Calder, is posted on the website at http://www.mathesonsaaaucion.com/.

In addition there will be an original bronze by Cyrus Dallin (American 1861-1944) entitled “The Protest,” a pair of 22in high 19th century bronzes with marble bases by H. Moreau, a 28in 19th century figural bronze clock on marble plinth “Le Meale Carpentier Font de Bronze,” an important 32in marble bust by Professor Petrelli, a suite of eight signed and numbered prints by Victor Vasarely (French/Hingarian 1908-1997) “Homage to the Hexagon,” a 19in high 16th century bronze Thai Buddha as well as ten estate oriental rugs including one palace size and a number of fine silver pieces to include Tiffany.

The sale will begin at 11:00AM Saturday April 4 and will continue at 12:00 NOON Sunday April 5. Preview will be Friday April 3 from 11:00AM to 6:00PM and two hours prior to auction time on each sale day. Matheson’s AA Auction is located at 600 E. New Haven Avenue in Melbourne, FL 32901. Seating can be reserved by phone, (321) 768-6668 or by email at aaauctions@earthlink.net. Bidders can follow the auction in real time and bid online through LiveAuctioneers.com. Bidders can also leave bids or arrange to bid by phone by contacting the Gallery. Ten additional phone lines will be run for the sale.

Selected portions of the catalog are available for viewing on the Matheson’s AA Auction website at http://www.mathesonsaaauction.com/ and at http://www.liveaucitoneers.com/. The auction will be called by 33 year veteran auctioneer and auction co-owner Lloyd J. Matheson, Jr. Phone and absentee bids are welcomed. For more information call auction owners Lloyd or Jan Matheson or Auction Manager Carey Lucas (321) 768-6668.

written by:

Fred Taylor

http://www.furnituredetective.com/

800-387-6377

PHOTO CAPTIONS

Large floral oil by Jean Jansem, 51 X 35in, acquired in 1991 at Sotheby’s.

Selection from the 150 Victorian spoon warmers of the Weinkle collection.

Original bronze by Cyrus Dallin, “The Protest.”

28in high 19th century bronze figural clock on marble plinth, “Le Maele
Carpentier Font de Bronze.”

Important marble bust, 32in high, by Professor Petrilli

Popularity: 28% [?]

From The Trulia Real Estate Blog

Almost 1500 home buyers gathered in Midtown Manhattan yesterday to scoop up 375 foreclosed homes in an auction by the Real Estate Disposition Corporation.   For home buyers looking for low prices, this was the place to be. One example reported by the New York Times: a seven-bedroom, five-bathroom home in Roselle, N.J., with an estimated value of $565,000 and a starting bid of $129,000. (Final sale price: $245,000.)

Purchasing the homes was pretty simple.  Buyers had to put a minimum 5% of the purchase price down on the spot with $5000 coming from a cashier’s check (the rest could be from a personal account).  Mortgage brokers were on hand to help finance the winning bids for people not paying in full.

In a survey by Trulia last May, 69% US adults reported that they though there were negative aspects of purchasing a foreclosed property. Safe to assume that none of these people were there.

Popularity: 29% [?]

Prescott James/Central Plain Herald-LeaderAuctioneer Gilbert Gauthier pushes for higher bids at St-Claude’s fundraising auction on March 7. The auction was held to raise money for the new St. Claude-Haywood Wellness Centre that will house many health services under one roof.

From The Central Plains Leader in Portage la Prairie Manitoba

ST. CLAUDE — St. Claude-area residents are all on board a campaign train to build a wellness centre in the community.

On March 7, the town was host to a fundraising auction that raised $90,000 to help pay for the new facility.

“We are hoping to start construction on the centre by this fall,” explained Dr. Gisele Viens who currently works at the St. Claude Health Centre and was heavily involved in the execution of the fundraiser.

According to Viens, the community of St. Claude has been fundraising for the centre since April 2008, and so far more than half of the funds needed for the $815,000 facility have been raised. The project itself has been in the planning stages since 2004 and the funding for the rest of total funding for $1.7 million project will come from the federal govenrment.

Viens explained this particular fundraising event was exceptional due to the fact the items up for bid were donated by a variety of sources. Viens said that demonstrates the level of support the St. Claude-Haywood Wellness Centre has from the community.

“The auction items came from everywhere. They came from the people and businesses in St. Claude. We also received items from the surrounding area, including some items that came all the way from Winnipeg from organizations that try to help smaller communities,” explained Viens.

Among the auction items were artwork, antiques, an entire suite of bathroom fixtures, a custom-made utility trailer, and collectable sports items including a Chicago Black Hawks jersey signed by Jonathon Toews.

Suzie Fay, health committee president of the St. Claude Development Corp. (CDC), said the event was a tremendous success.

“I’m really pleased with the turnout. We have 400 chairs at the recreation centre, and there appeared to be more people than chairs present. It is very obvious that the community is supporting the wellness centre project in a huge way,” she said.

Fay observed many of the items up for auction sold for a very good price, more than their dollar value, and she couldn’t believe how successful the whole event was.

“The new wellness centre will mean all our health-care services will be centralized in one location, so really it means patients won’t have to drive between the current clinic and the hospital when they need x-rays or other test done,” Fay said.

St. Claude firefighters also got involved in the event by volunteering to be drink servers and bid spotters. According to fire chief Dave Chappellaz, the emergency services in St. Claude provided 15 volunteers to assist in the event and Chappellaz was amazed with how the event turned out.

“This event is great, I can’t believe how many people came out and there are people here from all over,” stated Chappellaz, adding volunteering at the event was the fire department’s way of contributing to the centre without stretching its confined budget.

“We are often in the community looking for funds for the fire department because we are a volunteer organization. So by volunteering here, we are able to contribute to the wellness centre without donating money,” he explained.

The blueprints for the 692-square-metre wheelchair accessible centre were revealed April 8. The new facility will be connected to the current physician clinic, and will house offices for physicians and other health-care staff. It will also house a massage therapist, a fitness centre, a public health nurse, and space for any visiting health-care professionals such as mental health workers.

The CDC hopes construction on the wellness centre will start in September. However, that depends on the fundraising, Fay has said.

Popularity: 28% [?]

‘Let our family help your family’
Auctioneering runs in the Kral family

By Geri McShane | Albert Lea Tribune

Published Sunday, March 1, 2009

For the Kral family, auctioneering is a family affair.

Greg Kral had worked for an auctioneer before deciding to go on his own last winter. And when he did that, his whole family decided to get into the act.

Greg and his son, Spencer, now 16, attended auctioneering school last February in Mankato. There were students from 13 states, Greg said, and during the weeklong school, they focused on not only how to speak the language of auctioneering, but also on the business aspect of engineering.

“Spencer won the Best New Auctioneer Award,” Greg said.

He was almost the youngest student there; there was a teen from Colorado who was a few months younger than Spencer, Greg said.

“I didn’t really think he’d do it,” said Greg’s wife, Karen, of Spencer going to auctioneer school. “We said, ‘You should try this’ and he said, ‘OK,’ and away he went.”

“I bet Spencer sold everything in the house practicing,” said his sister, Molly.

Greg’s wife Karen and his daughter, Miranda, attended an appraisal workshop for real estate and personal property at the auctioneering school.

Since completing the training, the Krals have helped other auctioneers at auctions and have done some entirely on their own. Winter is the quietest time of year for them, but auctions can keep them busy in the spring, summer and fall.

The whole family works at auctions. While Greg and Spencer auction off the items, Miranda works the ring, shouting “yep” as a bid comes in. Molly clerks.

Karen’s daughter Alexa has helped Molly clerk.

“I hadn’t been to an auction before, but it was fun,” Alexa said.

“We love it,” added Miranda. “It’s cool to work together.

“We’re more passionate about it than like it,” she said.

“The kids would drop anything to go,” Greg said.

“It’s a social event,” said Karen. “We all like people.”

Greg and Karen actually met at an auction where Greg was helping out. “I always liked to go to auctions with my brother,” she said.

Greg said the community has offered the new family business great support. And in turn, the family gives the best it’s got.

“Our motto is, ‘Let our family help your family,’” he said.

When someone calls the Krals about an auction, Greg and Karen will meet with them and see what items they wish to auction. “I take pictures and get descriptions and put the pictures on our Web site,” Karen said.

Then they advertise the auction and familiarize the rest of the family with what’s ahead.

“It’s most important for us to make our clients happy,” Greg said.

“Some of them are selling their lives,” Karen added. “We have to be considerate of their belongings.”

A few days before the event, they make sure everything is lined up and ready to go. If it’s a real estate auction, they arrange some open houses and sometimes do some private showings.

“We just try to be there for the client,” Greg said.

Auctioneering can be a tough business to start up, Greg said. “Many of them have been in business for years, or even generations. That’s why we stick together as a family.”

Outside the auctioneering business, they all do other things. Greg farms. Karen is a hairstylist at Dinah’s Style in Albert Lea. Miranda is a stylist at Classic Reflections in Northbridge Mall. Molly is a student at Minnesota State University-Mankato. Spencer is a sophomore at Glenville-Emmons High School. Alexa is a student at the Area Learning Center and is a certified nursing assistant. Her brother, Tyler, works at Wal-Mart and is a student in the welding program at Riverland Community College. Tyler hasn’t worked an auction yet, but said he can’t wait to.

“It’s not something we have to do,” Miranda said. “It’s something we like to do together.”

Added Spencer, “Besides the farm, it’s something we can do together.”

Molly said she likes the fact that people now look at the family as an auction company and not just farmers.

For Spencer, the fun is in saying “sold.”

“I like auctioneering and working to get somebody to bid when they don’t really want to anymore,” he said.

Miranda said she loves working the ring and keeping people bidding. She tells people, “Why say no when it feels so good to say yes?”

The family admits to having butterflies before an auction, but it all goes away once the bidding starts.

“We’re just having a blast doing it,” said Miranda.

“We couldn’t do it without everybody working together,” Greg said. “It’s the coolest thing.”

Popularity: 28% [?]

A Blizzard that rolled through North Dakota on Wednesday caused a postponement of their AgIron 51 Consignment sale, but the crowd certainly showed up on Friday. With the recent snow most farmers had nothing else to do. The high temperature for the day was about 20F or -8 C

Steffes Auctioneers also have another AgIron coming up this week at their facility in Litchfield Minnesota.

Here are some prices and photos.

2003 JD 8420, MFWD, deluxe cab, powershift, 4 hyd., 42 gal. pump, 3 pt., quick hitch, 1000 PTO, HID lights, buddy seat, return flow, front/rear weights, 380/90R50 press steel duals, 2,734 hrs.  102,500$

2004 JD 7920, MFWD, IVT, 4 hyd., Case drain and hookups, 8 front weights, 380/90R50 hub duals, 380/85R34 fronts with fenders, 3 pt., quick hitch, big 1000 PTO, foot throttle, left hand reverse, active seat, xenon light pkg., Greenstar ready, 4,007 hrs.  74,000$

2004 JD 7920, MFWD, IVT, 4 hyd., 8 front weights, 380/90R50 hub duals, 3880/85R34 fronts with fenders, 3 pt., quick hitch, foot throttle, left hand reverse, big 1000 PTO, active seat, Greenstar ready, 3,200 hrs., S/N1020  78,000$

2008 JD 9770 STS, deluxe controls, premium cab, Contourmaster, hi-torque feederhouse, GreenStar yield & moisture, fine cut chopper, hi-cap unload auger, hi-cap cylinder lift, extended wear pkg., 800-65-32 singles, HD adj. rear axle, 760 eng. hrs., 550 sep. hrs., S/N725646  183,000$

2006 JD 9760 STS, Contourmaster, Touchset concave adj., Premier cab, deluxe header controls, high cap. unload, fine cut chopper, 800/65R32 tires, approx. 1,350-1400 sep. hrs., S/NH09760S717316  136,000$

2005 JD 9760 STS, Contourmaster, deluxe controls, Greenstar Y&M, high unload pkg., fine cut chopper, heavy duty lift cyl., heavy duty adj. rear axle, 520/85/38 straddle duals, RWD, 1,678 sep. hrs., 2,277 engine hrs., S/N711504 111,000$

Click to Enlarge the photos. They were taken by standing on top of the snow banks !

Popularity: 34% [?]

From Dan Davidson at the DTN Production Blog

On Thursday this week I attended the winter consignment auction held at Michael Wegener Implement in Cornlea, Neb. Probably near 1500 pieces of equipment were for sale and I estimated there were 600 to 800 buyers, observers or sellers on hand. The morning started out cool and wet with rain and snow which than turned to cold and windy and buy the end of the day I was chilled all the way through.

It was interesting to see how the auction went. I was there as an observer and a seller, but not a buyer this year. I regret that I did not buy a few items because the prices were going for much lower than I expected. For example two sturdy metal shop tables sold for $75 apiece. There as a like-new saddle tank system with two 300 gallon tanks that sold for $50 (I want to buy two new tanks and have to pay $450).

I felt it was a buyers’ market and prices were not as high as a year or two ago when the farm economy was ramping up with the biofuels industry. There was also a lack of exuberance in the bidding process. It was a hard to get buyers to start bidding and when they did, the auctioneering team tried to cajole them into paying more what the equipment was worth and usually without much success.

I am not a machinery jockey and it was hard to know what equipment is really worth since I do not track this industry. However I always look at the local editions of Tractor House and Fastline to see what machinery costs, dream about what I would like to buy and discover that retail-priced equipment is pretty pricey. But prices at auctions usually reflect the true market value of an item at a given moment in time - not the retail price that we sellers hope to get. There were some great buys for guys who had the cash and the bidding wasn’t too competitive.

Some of the surprising buys!

There was an early model Kinze 12-row wide planter with row cleaners and good planter units that sold for $1150. The row cleaners were worth at least $100 apiece. A JD 7200 12-row narrow front fold with all the bells and whistles sold for $10,250. Older JD 7000 series planters were selling for about $200 a row.

Several JD 8000 series tractors sold in the 50,000 range and with tracks for about $60,000. JD 40 and 50 series tractors brought between $20,000 and $30,000. There were several JD 3010 and 3020 tractors with loaders that went from $4500 to $5000 and 4000 series tractors were bringing around $8000. A salvage 8430 sold for $2500 and I asked a salvage yard if they bought it and they said no because there no longer is a good market for those parts.

There were also antique tractors on the lot. A Farmall H in running condition and fair shape sold for less than $600. JD 50 and 60s brought a couple thousand dollars, JD 720s and 730s brought over $4,000 and a JD 830 restored brought over $6,000. An Oliver 1900 with a 4 cylinder screaming Detroit brought $5200. There was also a Cleveland trencher with tracks and gas motor that sold for $1100 - and according the seller, it was in operating condition.

A one owner 1981 Case 2390 that had its engine and transmission overhauled last summer sold for $6250 and the cab, metal and paint were still in good condition and the seller was shocked. Someone stole this tractor. Another Case 5488 brought $12,500. Since I am not a red guy, I did not tractor the price of red tractors or combines.

A like new Peck 10-inch 65 foot auger with swing hopper sold for $1700 but it had a crank lift. Another Bazooka 10-inch 70 foot auger with hydraulic lift sold for $225 but it only had a smaller permanently placed hopper for unloading a gravity wagons.

There were four used 8-10 yard scrapers that sold in the $500 to $600 range.

Several New Holland 1475 sickle bar windrows sold for around $5000 while their predecessor, the 116 sold for $1000 to $2000. An older Hesston sold for $575. Several used V-rakes in good condition brought about $5000. I bought one last year for $4000 in a private sale so I thought I got a good deal.

A JD 567 baler with netwrap and over 15,000 bales on the monitor sold for $18,000 and had sheet metal damage. I bought one last November with 4000 bales on the monitor and in like new condition and paid $24,000 so I thought the $18,000 price was about right.

Several late model JD 9660 and 9760 STS combines (without heads) sold in the $135,000 to $145,000 range). Several 7720s and 6620s combines brought only $6000 or $7000 and often less than the corn heads that came with them.

A UFT 600-700 bushel 2-axle grain cart with hydraulic folding unloading auger and in excellent condition sold for $1850. A like new big Balzer grain cart (over 1000 bushels with a humongous unloading auger) sold for $33,000 (auctioneer said that cart costs $90,000 new). Several 200 bushel graving wagons sold in the $700 to $1000 range.

So there were good buys to be had at the auction if you had the cash and the need (and even if you didn’t have the need). If you were a seller, you went away disappointed.

Popularity: 27% [?]