News

All the fun of the fair!

Enough kit to equip a respectable-sized fairground is to go under the hammer in Scunthorpe next week in one of the most unusual industrial auctions ever to be staged in the area.

An amusement arcade’s worth of slot machines is to be sold off, some of them dating back to the 1970s and now collectors items. The auction also includes high-speed dune buggies, children’s go-cart rides and a fleet of brand new quad bikes.

“It is the most unusual selection of goods we’ve ever put under the hammer in a single auction at our Brigg Road saleroom,” said Paul Cooper of industrial auctioneers CJM Asset Management.

“It started when the slot machines arrived from a Mablethorpe amusement arcade company which has gone into liquidation. The liquidator who is now handling the company’s affairs despatched the lot to us for disposal.”

“In total we’ve got almost thirty amusement machines, including coin rolling machines, loads of fruit machines and also video game machines. Some are modern, others date back to the 1970s, so they’re getting to the stage where they’re now of interest to collectors.”

“We’ve been getting an amazing number of enquiries about them. You wouldn’t believe how many people apparently like to have one of these things around the house or office.”

“We’re expecting the machines to make between £50 and £300 apiece.”

“Coincidentally we shortly afterwards received a fleet of four Madtrax dune buggies from another source. They’re the high-powered, single seat, machines used in beach racing and the like . . . just a seat, a safety cage and a big engine behind.”

“The same vendor also sent us a complete children’s go-cart amusement, including four battery powered carts and complete with an inflatable circuit. The whole thing mounts on a trailer, so it can be driven to fairs, galas and events.”

“Just to complete the leisure theme of the sale, yet another vendor has entered six 250cc quad bikes. They are new and unused. We sold four of these machines in the last monthly sale and they made £850-£950 apiece, so that’s the price range that we’re expecting to see.”

Paul added: “With all this leisure equipment in the auction, we have had to reduce the amount of commercial and industrial kit in the auction but there is some good woodworking machinery in the sale, including a Giben beam saw that’s expected to make £5,000 - £6,000.”

“There is also some serious professional TV equipment in the sale . . . including a Hitachi camera system, its tripod, the receiver decoder and monitor . . . and some decent screen printing equipment including a Viprotech screen printing machine that we rate at £6,000 - £8,000.”

In all the auction extends to 550 lots. The public viewing sessions for the auction are on Monday (27th February) 11am-6pm and on Tuesday morning from 8.30am until the start of the sale at 10 am. Catalogues are available from CJM or can be downloaded free of charge from the firm’s website: www.cjmasset.com

For further information or comment please contact Paul Cooper at CJM Asset Management on 01724-334411.            

Newman Walker Associates - 23rd February 2006