This Was The Place To Be

If you were looking to buy some plant at auction, you couldn’t do better than check out the Euro Auction Sale, held near Selby on January 25, 26 and 27.

It is so big that it takes place over a three-day period: altogether there were some 4,300 items up for sale with over 4,000 being plant machinery or associated equipment. There were over 200 telehandlers of various ages and condition for sale alone, making i an unmissable event.

Although taking place between Selby and Goole, Euro Auctions describe it as their Leeds site. They held their first auction in March 1998 at Dromore, Northern Ireland, a one-day event selling 371 lots. Things have moved on since then; in February 2002 the Selby arena was established, with expansion leading to other venues being developed in Germany, Spain, Australia and the USA, utilising a worldwide selling network.

There were no reserves, and many bids came from around the world via the internet. The auction is based on the American system, with various lots being driven on to a ramp in front of the prospective bidders, with ‘ringmen’ encouraging bids. Sometimes similar lots are grouped together, the winning bidder having the choice of machine, or indeed buying the whole group, the under-bidder then having the choice of other machines at that price. The event is fast and efficient - it has to be with so many machines lined up for the ramp to get through; co-ordination is essential to maintain the rhythm of the sale. At Leeds, there were two ramps in operation, so prospective buyers had to make sure that they were in the right place at the right time to have a chance of buying the machine of their choice.

So let’s have a look at what plant was on offer and the prices attained.