It was a perfect day for an auction. 72 degrees, sunny with only a light breeze. It was an auction of my niece' husband's family estate. His mother lived on a 5 acre site and kept horses and goats. There were many interesting tools and animal husbandry equipment in addition to house hold items.
Of particular interest to me was the tractor. It was an IHC M with an older Farmhand loader. The tractor was in good shape with a Schwartz wide front (much better than the factory IHC wide front) and power steering. Wide fronts are preferable to the tricycle fronts on many tractor. The tires were in good shape which is important because one new rear tire costs $500.
Lisa and Derek were with me at the sale and I told them I'd bid to $2000. Kirk, my niece' husband told me that the man who had sold it to them was there to bid on it. I though "he's not going to get it cheaply."
Sales at auctions begin with the smallest items and work up to the most expensive. The tractor was the second to the last item sold. Bidding quickly moved to $2500. and I had not yet bid. It seemed that would be the final bid until I bid $2550. The lone other bidder (the one who had originally sold the tractor) thought a long time before bidding $2600. and I stopped so it was his tractor.
It was mostly relief I felt when it was finished. I already have two IHC Ms, one of which I have for sale. The appeal of this one was the wide front, power steering and loader. At $2000. it would have been a bargain but $2600. was it's full value. Visiting with the winning bidder he told me "that was my final bid." Sometimes it's better to bid and lose than to bid and win.
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