ONE OF the busiest vintage tractors sales ever seen in Scotland attracted a worldwide interest and a top price of £14,000 recently.

Graham Burke's Pentland Livestock organised the dispersal sale of the private collection of vintage and classic tractors and associated items belonging to the late Murray Simpson, from Ceres, in Fife.

He was well known in both the agricultural machinery trade and in the vintage movement as a quality engineer, having started as a teenager assembling International tractors out of packing cases at Central Motors in St Andrews during the war.

His time at James H Steele’s Fife depot at Strathkinness further honed his skills and gave him a healthy respect for Minneapolis Moline products.

American machinery and culture were close to his heart and after going on his own in the early 1950s, he reconditioned many US tractors and UK models to be resold to local farmers.

After opening at Teasses Mill, in 1956, he sold New Holland and Case products along with David Brown and Fordson, before becoming one of the first John Deere agents in the UK in 1965. He was also involved with Steyr products for a short time.

During the 1980s he began to collect and restore many makes and models, when his skill and determination resulted in restorations that were at least as good as new and a great deal of showing success followed.

The 1000-strong crowd at the sale at Teasses Mill, Ceres, was augmented by 261 registered online bidders, providing many highlights and made the job for auctioneer, Graham Burke, that bit easier.

Tractors and other items from the collection sold to as far afield as Orkney in the north and to Devon and Cornwall in the south, with others selling across the water to Ireland and throughout all other parts of the UK.

Leading the sale at £14,000 was an iconic John Deere GP which had been restored by Murray and had been on display for many years in John Deere’s Mannheim factory, in Germany. This was purchased by local enthusiast and collector, W Wallace, St Andrews.

Next at £11,000 was an Allis Chalmers A, from 1940, which was the rarest tractor in the sale. It was first registered in Devon and went back there to RG Beard, Newton Abbott, Devon.

Also creating a lot of interest was a 1980 Volvo F717 lorry, which had only done 18,000 miles and had been stored inside. This made £10,200 to an online customer from Barnsley.

An International Harvester W400, from 1956, sold for £8000 to Charlie Simpson, Mains of Creuchies, Alyth, while the second John Deere to command a premium was a Model G from 1938, which made £6100 to Bill Cassie, Inverurie – who bought five tractors from the collection.

OTHERLEADINGprices:

IH 1020, 1923, £6000; Case C, 1936, £5250; DB VAK1, 1943, £5200; JD B, 1936, £5000; Allis Chalmers U, 1943, £4800; JD A, 1937, £4700; Minneapolis Moline Twin City KTA, 1935, £4500; JD B (short), 1937, £4200; Massey Harris 203, 1940-43, £4000; Oliver 90, 1940, £3600; Minneapolis Moline ZTU, 1947, £3600; Minneapolis Moline GTA, 1946, £3500; Case RC, 1936, £3400; JD 2120, 1970, £3400; MF 35, 1962, £3200; Fordson N Waterwasher, 1937, £3200; IH W9, £3200; IH W14, 1939, £3000; IH Farmall Regular, 1929, £3000; IH F20, 1937, £3000; Minneapolis Moline ZTS, early 1940s, £2700; JD L, 1946, £2700; IH Farmall H, 1947, £2600; Amazone KTE 303 power harrow, £2400; Oliver 70 rubbers, 1940, £2000; Fordson Dexta, pre-1960s, £2000; JD D, 1946, £2000; IH 1020, 1936-1939, £1800; Deutz D50, £1800; Amazone UG 2200 trailed sprayer, £1700; Case LA wooden floor, 1940-41, £1600; JD B, 1938, £1600; Case LA steel floor, 1952, £1600; Ferguson TEF 20, 1955, £1600; Fordson F, 1921, £1500; JD B, 1942, £1400; IH F12, 1936, £1400; Allis Chalmers B, 1938, £1100; Allis Chalmers M crawler, £1000; JD two-furrow trailing plough, £850.

Inputs – Mercedes MB-Trac 1000, 1984, £11,000; Deutz 6-11 Agrostar, 1993, £10,000; Muirhill 121 dual power, 1975, £6000; MF 35, £5100; DB Super Cropmaster, 1953, £4000; Fordson Super Dexta, 1963-64, £3000; IH B340, 1963, £2300; Massey Harris 23 Mustang, 1953 with mid-mounted cultivator, £2200; IH W4 lease lend, 1942, £2100; Bedford Green Goddess fire engine, 1956, £2000; Massey Harris 30 Standard, 1949, £1400.