A collectors’ dream auction awaits
Collectors and memorabilia enthusiasts will prepare for a unique and rare opportunity next week as one of the Wimmera’s most anticipated clearing sales gets under way.
A lifetime of collections, dating back to the late 1800s, will feature in the first five installments of an online Pipkorn Vintage and Collectables Sale.
Former Banyena farmer Ken Pipkorn, now of Horsham, has spent a lifetime gathering collectables.
Items gathered from his family farms will go under the hammer on August 7 and 8.
Elders Horsham is in charge of the online sale and has had the task of clearing, sorting and presenting decades of collected materials – much of it reflects and represents bygone eras and the evolution of Australia and beyond.
Elders Horsham branch manager Mat Taylor said he had been astonished at the scope of the collected materials, which would require two major clearing sales.
“The first is on August 7 and 8, covering collections of every conceivable type of item, some are extremely rare,” he said.
“The first, in five auction sections and with about 1200 multiple-item lots, concentrates on smaller collectables.
“A second sale, covering an expansive
collection of larger machinery and vehicles, will be later in the year.
“It is such an extensive collection that by the time the overall sale is complete it will have been nearly a year since we started the process. That’s how big a project this has been.”
Mr Taylor said the collection was so extensive it was mind-boggling.
“If you found one of something you knew you were going to find 20 more,” he said.
“We have an almost incomprehensible collection, involving everything from stamp, coin and expansive sign collections gathered from across eastern Australia, to everyday working materials, machinery and vehicles – used across generations.
“It has all been really something to behold.”
Mr Taylor said the sorting process had been an unforgettable experience.
“It has been nothing short of a privilege for Elders staff to be able to go through items that physically tell a story of Australia and Australian agriculture from the 1800s to the present day,” he said.
“It’s been a rare experience and the truth is, what we’re having is much more than a clearing sale – it’s a walk through and passing on of museum pieces.
“You would never have another opportunity in your life to buy some of the items up for sale.
“If you don’t get what you’re looking for here, you won’t get it anywhere.”
Mr Taylor said he was still coming to grips with the extent of the overall collection.
“Our team was constantly uncovering surprising finds that varied considerably,” he said.
“One example was a 1908 halfsovereign coin, sitting in an envelope.
“Another was a 1930s motorcycle that seemed to appear out of the blue.
“And every time we went to the property we were constantly finding car jacks from all eras, some dating back to the 1890s. Every day had a ‘wow’ moment.”
The online auction will involve live bidding, finishing with a timer on an Auctionsplus website.
The auction opens at 9am on Saturday, August 7 and continues the following day.
People can find out more by emailing pipkornclearingsale@elders.com. au or by calling 0456 631 518.