Yesterday at 6 am a buddy and I headed for auction about 150 miles away. 34f and slush was falling from the sky. some of the flakes were huge as the clumped together as they fell. 80 miles of 4 wheel drive in a 1 ton Dodge Cummings pulling a 24' flatbed trailer, then all gone. Coming home the roads were dry as it hit 50 during the day.
Amazing auction. Was nice there after about 9am. A 85 year old machinist and tinkerer had hung it up. Pallets upon pallets of tools, knife steel, belt grinders, 2 lathes, 2 mills, drill presses, steel, guns. More tools than anyone wanted to buy. Guy had never married and made me look like a complete piker in the pack rat dept. Buddy was looking to get the fairly big German mill. Went to high for his blood, a really nice craftsmen lathe with a 60" bed and a bunch of tooling went for $2400, sweet deal, but I already have a lathe. Some stuff went dirt cheap and some stuff was nuts. A 158# anvil with sides of top rounded $900. A set of snap on wrenches $20. Probably collected over a 1/4 million at least. Today they will be auctioning off a couple Harleys, tractors, couple trucks, cars campers etc.
I ended up with 250# of lead ingots made from wheel weights for $125 and about 100 2x72" grinder belts for $100, Buddy got a real nice coal forge with both electric and hand blowers for $100, a huge indexing head for $35 and a bunch of good coal. I didn't buy much as I got to much "stuff" already and am of an age where I should be selling more than gathering. Met some great folks, couple of people from over by my hometown, 400 miles away. Knife makes, machinist, lots of like minded people end up at auctions with stuff that interest them
Weirdest thing I saw was a Rossi revolving 410 carbine with a 6x18 scope mounted on it. Went for $650. I get the revolving 410, I get the 6x 18 scope , but, the combination totally baffles me.
Amazing auction. Was nice there after about 9am. A 85 year old machinist and tinkerer had hung it up. Pallets upon pallets of tools, knife steel, belt grinders, 2 lathes, 2 mills, drill presses, steel, guns. More tools than anyone wanted to buy. Guy had never married and made me look like a complete piker in the pack rat dept. Buddy was looking to get the fairly big German mill. Went to high for his blood, a really nice craftsmen lathe with a 60" bed and a bunch of tooling went for $2400, sweet deal, but I already have a lathe. Some stuff went dirt cheap and some stuff was nuts. A 158# anvil with sides of top rounded $900. A set of snap on wrenches $20. Probably collected over a 1/4 million at least. Today they will be auctioning off a couple Harleys, tractors, couple trucks, cars campers etc.
I ended up with 250# of lead ingots made from wheel weights for $125 and about 100 2x72" grinder belts for $100, Buddy got a real nice coal forge with both electric and hand blowers for $100, a huge indexing head for $35 and a bunch of good coal. I didn't buy much as I got to much "stuff" already and am of an age where I should be selling more than gathering. Met some great folks, couple of people from over by my hometown, 400 miles away. Knife makes, machinist, lots of like minded people end up at auctions with stuff that interest them
Weirdest thing I saw was a Rossi revolving 410 carbine with a 6x18 scope mounted on it. Went for $650. I get the revolving 410, I get the 6x 18 scope , but, the combination totally baffles me.
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