Farewell to Friskney’s as hundreds attend ‘Sale of the Century'

One of the largest auctions Horncastle has ever seen proved a fitting finale to 110 years of trading as JT Friskney Ltd. dispersed its stock, on Saturday 16th November 2019.

Auctioneers Robert Bell & Company were pleased to be instructed to hold the dispersal on behalf of Eric Young who, having lost wife Gwen last year and now in to his nineties, made the decision to retire.

As well as bringing down the curtain on a major Horncastle institution, the sale marks the end of a distinguished career and brought out nearly 600 buyers from across the British Isles.

Formed by John Thomas Friskney in 1909, the business relocated from Baumber to West Street in Horncastle before the First World War and has been a mainstay of the town ever since. At one time one of the largest Henry Ford dealerships in Europe, the business passed into the hands of Eric Young not long after the death of J.T. Friskney in 1947.

Under Eric and Gwen’s guidance, the firm employed over 50 staff at its peak and expanded operations to Boston and Stickney.

With over 1,100 lots on offer, Robert Bell & Company operated two sales simultaneously, before merging the crowds to bring large machinery under the hammer, at the end of the sale.

Two lots attracted five-figure bids: a highly sought-after 1977 Ford County tractor, the star lot at £19,000, narrowly eclipsing a 2012 Manitou telehandler which sold for £18,250.  

Further lots of interest were as follows:

• 2017 Volvo mini digger £9,600

• 1965 MF 35X tractor £8,000

• 1961 Fordson Super Major tractor £7,300

• 1991 MF 240 tractor £6,800

• 1975 Iron Fairy crane £3,600

• Fiat OM50C crawler £3,400

• 1942 International Standard W4 tractor £3,200

• Westwood ride-on mower £3200

• 1969 Ford 4000 tractor £3,150

• 2008 Deutz Fahr AgroKid 230 tractor £3,150

• Fordson Major industrial tractor crane £2,800

• 1962 Fordson Dexta tractor £2,550

• 2001 Deutz Fahr AgroKid 35 £2,400

• 1988 Coventry Climax forklift £2,100

• 2007 Ford Transit van £1900

• Stiga gang cylinder mower £1900

• 2009 Renault Kangoo van £1800

• Stiga Villa rotary gang mower £1790

• 3 phase Leader cylinder grinder and tools £1640

• Fordson N petrol tractor £1600

• Stiga Park mower with snow blade £1420

• 16ft Ifor Williams twin axle trailer £1300

• Vogel & Noot MasterDrill A400 £1200

• 2005 Ford Transit 350 LWB van £1100

• 1999 16ft Bateson BlueLine plant trailer and winch £1100

• 2 Large steel racks of nuts and bolts £1000

• 12ft Ifor Williams twin axle trailer £1000

• Toro Timecutter ride-on mower £960

• Fordson Major E27N tractor £900