A vintage Porsche tractor valued at up to €22,000 is on offer at Mealy's auctioneers, Co Kilkenny where a two-day Winter Sale takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday (December 6th and 7th).
Lot 870 is "a Porsche Diesel 329 Tractor" made in the early 1960s that the auction house said had "spent its working life on a large farm in the South of France" before being acquired and "painstakingly restored" by the current owner 10 years ago. Auctioneer George Mealy said the three-cylinder tractor was the highest quality model in the Porsche range and very few were produced so this is "a rare example, especially in such good condition". The estimate is €17,500-€22,000. It is one of a number of vintage tractors in the auction – but despite the exclusive Porsche tag, not the most expensive.
Lot 872, "an extremely rare Ferguson Brown industrial tractor", built in Huddersfield, that was part of a consignment sent to South African and Rhodesian air fields in the late 1930s has an estimate of €20,000-€25,000. It is described as "unique because it is the only surviving model with a side-mounted steering wheel and seat, as opposed to the central seated model" and is "is in good working order and restored".
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Tractors aside, the auction of more than 1,100 lots also includes art and antiques with interesting provenance.
Lot 307 is an early 20th century Rolex silver and cobalt blue enamel ball pendant believed to have been the property of Countess Markievicz (€700-€1,100); while Lot 420 is a 43-string harp from Lissadell House, Co Sligo by the renowned maker Erard (€1,500-€2,500).
Castlemartin
Lot 793 is a mid-18th century Irish side table with provenance catalogued as "Castlemartin, from the collection of Sir Anthony O'Reilly" estimated at €10,000-€15,000. It's one of 40 lots – the final consignment – from "the Trustee in Bankruptcy appointed by the Bahamian Court" following O'Reilly's bankruptcy in the Bahamas.
Among the art highlights are Lot 780, Portrait of an Aran Woman and her Children by Seán Keating estimated at €40,000-€50,000; and Lot 800, A Mountain Landscape by Paul Henry (€20,000-€30,000).
Taxidermy includes Lot 968, “a stuffed and mounted fox, standing on hind legs, wearing a green hat and satchel, holding a pair of binoculars to his eyes, and a double barrel over his shoulder” (€580-€650).
Anyone looking for a Christmas gift for a dentist might like either Lot 220, a 19th-century oil painting of The Visit to the Dentist (€400-€500); or Lot 874, an 18th-century oil titled Crowded Interior, depicting figures surrounding a man having his tooth extracted by candle light (€300-€500).
Viewing begins at noon tomorrow, Sunday, December 4th in the saleroom at Kilkenny Road, Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny. For the online catalogue and bidding details see mealys.ie
