Record-Setting Sale For Mecum’s Gone Farmin’ Vintage Tractor Auctions
This past weekend’s Gone Farmin’ Tractor Spring Classic hosted by Mecum Auctions saw more than 200 vintage tractors and 350 signs and farm relics cross the auction block at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport, Iowa. The auction house’s highest tractor sell-through rate to date was reached with 88 percent hammering sold. Total sales for the auction broke the $2 million mark for the first time in the division’s four-year history.
The top 10 sales list was led by a thoroughly restored and mostly original 1913 Bull Tractor Co. Little Bull 5-12 (Lot S50) that hammered at $81,000. Before being offered at auction, the tractor was purchased from a museum in Billings, Mont., after 20 years of searching by a family wishing to own one just like their grandfather’s. Another fully vintage find, a 1919 Waterloo Boy N (Lot S54) took the second seat selling at $80,000. This still-functioning original tractor was purchased from its second owner in 2013, the first having owned it until 1979. Serial number 16705, this tractor is one of an extremely few original surviving tractors of this age at almost 100 years old.
Other significant sales include several from the Steve Sickafoose Collection, all of which were offered with no reserve. Two of the six tractors in the Sickafoose lineup made the top 10 with a 1971 Farmall 1456 MFWA (Lot S69) hammering at $55,000 and his 1972 Farmall 1468 (Lot S68) demanding $42,000.
The complete top 10 sales list includes (all sales reflect hammer prices):
1. 1913 Bull Tractor Co. Little Bull 5-12 (Lot S50) at $81,000
2. 1919 Waterloo Boy N (Lot S54) at $80,000
3. 1971 Farmall 1456 MFWA (Lot S69) at $55,000
4. 1924 John Deere D (Lot S31) at $46,000
5. 1972 Farmall 1468 (Lot S68) at $42,000
6. 1972 John Deere 4000 Diesel Power Shift (Lot S44) at $36,500
7. 1961 John Deere 4010 Diesel Hi-Crop (Lot S45) at $28,000
8. 1972 John Deere 4000 Gas (Lot S61) at $27,500
9. 1971 John Deere 4020 Powershift (Lot F34) at $27,000
10. 1970 John Deere 4020 Power Shift (Lot F47) at $26,000
For access to complete auction results and other member benefits, sign up for the free InfoNet service offered at www.Mecum.com. The entire Gone Farmin’ Spring Classic was filmed by RFD TV and will be broken into eight original episodes which will broadcast every Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. and Saturday at 10:30 a.m. (all times central). Mecum’s next vintage tractor auction will be this June 6-7 with its debut event in the Nashville, Tenn., region at the Williamson County Ag Expo Park in Franklin. For more information or to consign a tractor visit www.Mecum.com, or call (262) 275-5050 to speak directly with a Mecum representative.
About Mecum Auctions
Nobody sells more than Mecum. Nobody. The Mecum Auction Company is the world leader of collector car, vintage and antique motorcycle, and Road Art sales, hosting auctions throughout the United States. The company has been specializing in the sale of collector cars for 27 years, now offering more than 15,000 vehicles per year and averaging more than one auction each month. Established by President Dana Mecum in 1988, Mecum Auctions remains a family-run company headquartered in Walworth, Wis. For further information, visit Mecum.com or call (262) 275-5050. Follow along with Mecum’s social media news and join us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram.
