Joe’s big collection on sale
Thousand items up for auction
A VISIT to the Toowoomba Auction Centre is like taking a step back in time as it prepares for a huge auction at the weekend.
Old camp ovens, wheelwrights, tractors and even army Jeeps will be some of more than 1000 lots at Saturday’s auction.
The pieces belong to Joe Geiger who spent about three decades creating his collection while living at Windorah, west of Charleville.
Mr Geiger was born at at Jundah, north of Windorah, before moving to Toowoomba to continue his work with the post office. He spent about 20 years in the city before he moved back to Windorah, where he owned the local pub.
Mr Geiger moved back to Toowoomba in 1995, where he owned a property near Wellcamp. His son, John, bought that property about four years ago when Mr Geiger moved to a retirement village in the city.
Now, John is preparing to sell his property and so his father’s collection, which was stored in a huge shed, needs to go.
“In the 1970s when all the big stations were having clearing sales and they were selling out to the big companies... they would have clearing sales and that is where I used to get it all,” Mr Geiger said.
He joked he used to buy so much because, as long as he was playing along with that, he didn’t have to do the house work or cooking.
John said his father would love nothing more than for people to take pride in the collection as much as he had.
“There is a lot of stuff that a lot of people collect and because there is a big variety of it, I think it’s unusual to find so much in one plate at one time,” John said.
“Initially he (Joe) was a bit sad... but I think the excitement has come from knowing how many people have been ringing up and what they like about it all and they are going to have it out on display and they are going to use it.”
Viewing will be held on Friday from 8am to 3pm. The auction is on Saturday from 8am at the Toowoomba Auction Centre, 7 Rocla Ct. For a full list of items go to toowoombaauctioncentre.com.au.