I really think that the executors have made the wrong decision in using an auctioneer more used to disposing of bankrupt stock and industrial equipment. The whole procedure is obscure and not at all friendly to individual buyers. To a business that can reclaim the VAT, this aspect is not a problem and of course their normal client is of this type and they don't usually want private punters getting in the way of the trade customers.
It is not unusual for the major UK auction houses to deal with continental collections and if one of those had dealt with this sale, there would have been proper research of the machines provenance (Was that the 'space-frame' that Williams had his last race outing on ? Have those Proddie Racers won national championships ?) and the sale would have been much more accessible to private buyers.
The cataloguing of the spare parts is dreadful. Fine for a local farm sale but useless for international customers.
Fortunately, the Belgians are rather good at organising piss-ups in breweries (and elsewhere) but this sale shows a complete lack of understanding of the market involved.
It is not unusual for the major UK auction houses to deal with continental collections and if one of those had dealt with this sale, there would have been proper research of the machines provenance (Was that the 'space-frame' that Williams had his last race outing on ? Have those Proddie Racers won national championships ?) and the sale would have been much more accessible to private buyers.
The cataloguing of the spare parts is dreadful. Fine for a local farm sale but useless for international customers.
Fortunately, the Belgians are rather good at organising piss-ups in breweries (and elsewhere) but this sale shows a complete lack of understanding of the market involved.
