Article written by
Malcolm Greves - Chairman
December 2023
In November the Club hosted an open meeting in St Walstans Hall on the showground when they invited Bill King, Chairman and Director of Cheffins to give an account of their role as the UK’s largest specialist firm of auctioneers who regularly sell anything from current tractors right through to some of the earliest tractors ever produced.
Cheffins are very well known and respected for their monthly auctions at Sutton where they regularly sell between 300 and 500 tractors together with around 1500 lots agricultural and horticultural kit. I addition they hold auctions dedicated to classics and vintage kit where quite often eye watering figures are achieved for some of the very rare tractors from yesteryear. For example the 1982 County 1474 that changed hands for the princely sum of £214,400 or even more staggering the 1903 Ivel Agricultural Motor that sold for £332,320!
Bill’s presentation was both informative and entertaining as he recalled his career that started in his native Somerset where he was the fourth generation from his family to take hold of the gavel selling principally livestock in the South West to when he met his now wife at Cirencester who was a daughter. of Paul Gooderham who was for many years the head of Cheffins. Today Bill heads up this very well respected business who without doubt are the leaders in their field. It was good to see some 70+ people in attendance, many as NORMAC members, but equally a good many others who hopefully we will engage with going forward as we strive to change the dynamic of the club.
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