York auction centre-unbelievable beekeeping lot

[Gilberdyke John]

A couple of us went to today's general auction with a trailer as one of the lots was 2 pallets of beekeeping equipment.
It consisted of a stainless steel ripening tank of some age as it had a well corroded brass honey valve. A poly wrapped tray containing a number of bee books with Hooper on top of the pile, the majority of the rest of the poly wrapped pellets were about 3 national brood boxes, a number of national supers, a couple of pent roofs in poor condition, a few wooden nucs. The interior of some of the boxes could be seen to contain frames and comb that appeared to be old and rotting with signs of wax moth activity. A fair description would include the word firewood.
We didn't wait for the auction to reach the lot and left to travel home via Pocklington, calling at Abelo beekeeping supplies on the way.

I was astounded to find out this evening that the lot sold for £150-00
It seems firewood is a valuable commodity.

 

[olriley]

Well, you know what they say about a fool and his money John


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[Hachi]

Went to an auction at the beginning of the year and the prices some of the stuff was going for was more expensive than buying new. Bizarre. I managed to buy a Bro Adams book with a signed letter inside by Bro Adam plus another book that were sold as a lot for £2. The angels were with me that day.

 

[oliver90owner]

You don't say how big the ripening tank was. £150 could have been the price paid for that item alone, the rest being of some value albeit not a lot.

I note that a 100kg tank now is well over 200 quid, unless it is one of the flimsy carpy offerings from china. How long do the plastic ones last? Certainly not as long as a good quality S/S tank!

Brass honey valves will clean up nicely, as well.

Even a 25kg tank can cost nearly £150.

Prices from C Wynn Jones - delivery extra.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

You don't say how big the ripening tank was. £150 could have been the price paid for that item alone, the rest being of some value albeit not a lot.

I note that a 100kg tank now is well over 200 quid, unless it is one of the flimsy carpy offerings from china. How long do the plastic ones last? Certainly not as long as a good quality S/S tank!

Brass honey valves will clean up nicely, as well.

Even a 25kg tank can cost nearly £150.

Prices from C Wynn Jones - delivery extra.

You make valid points but the use of a general auction and lumping everything together in one lot dragged down the value of the individual parts in my opinion. I understand it was clearance after a death and from the condition of the visible hive parts I believe they could have been abandoned a long time previously. Selling the tank and books on their own at a bee auction and incineration of the wood might have been more reasonable, thus saving collection and packing costs, auction fees, purchasers transport and labour in going through the pile and having a bonfire anyway.
There's a fair risk the buyer may have been a non beekeeper planning to venture into beekeeping or a junk dealer buying on spec to sell as garden ornaments. (a pair of concrete or stone lions made £1250 pounds although admittedly they were very nice)

 

[MartinL]

Used to be a regular at an antique action house nr Stratford on Avon.

It attracted allsorts, (both items in the sale & Bidders). When the usual Jumle sale item came along the Autioneer would often (jokingly) say, so where should we start with this fine item, £200? . . . . got to be worth at least £5 for firewood?".
One evening there was an American Lady outbidding everyone on the nice items.
Then came the throw out item...
"so who will bid me £200 for this beautiful Late Elizabethan painting" Up went the Americans hand, "£210 anyone? SOLD for £200".
All the regulars giggled.
The American Lady frowned.

As we settled up & left she was arguing "I want everything else but I don't want THAT"!
She was told "you don't have to take it with you but it's yours, if you leave it to be re-sold at the next sale, you will be charged storage".