Museum & Auctions

[Rossco500]

If any of you happen to be visiting the North Yorkshire area (and why not given the quality of the ale!) its worth calling into small Mathewsons Museum. Located in Thornton le Dale on the A170 near Pickering they are also a classic vehicle dealership and have frequent auctions which means the museum stock often changes! Entry fee is only a couple of quid. As frequent visitors to the Farmyard Party MAG event in nearby Helmsley we always try and call with them for a look.   

http://www.mathewsons.co.uk/auctions/auctions/vehicles?view=datavw

and Brightwells have quite a few Italian mini thumpers in their next auction (and 2 very low mileage Kawasaki z200s). A few tasty / unusual cars too.

http://www.brightwells.com/classic-motoring/leominster-classic-vintage/leominster-classic-vintage-march-2017/catalogue-8th-march-2017/

Regards

Tony

[timbo]

I concur 
Reminds me of a visit years ago, were Rossco500 had parked his bike in Thornton let Dale, after a visit to the museum. We came upon two elderly gentlemen discussing his W650, and what a great restoration of a Triumph it was. Then one of them spied the Kawasaki badge on the tank. The utter disgust on their faces was a sight to behold, which sticks with me to this day!
Anyway, why don't we make this thread about all the little obscure museums around the country. And, guess what, I mean all sorts, not just motorcycles 

[spooky]

this one is well worth a visit, also in York area... http://www.cravencollection.co.uk/

[SteveC#222]

If you are in the area of Pembroke the Museum of Speed at Pendine is worth a visit - Pendine beach is of course wherea lot of the early Land speed records were set and the museum has a good selection of bikes and cars from the era - Don't make a special long journey though as it is tiny!

Also if you are in Lincolnshire/Norfolk area The Bubble Car Museum is worth a visit.

[timbo]

The Craven collection, Pendine, and the Bubblecar Museum have all been on my radar for the last few years, but I've haven't yet made it. The Dave Silvers Museum looks like a goodun as well.
Usually if I'm in an area, I try to visit the local military museum for a day. These are always great, and I've  been as far as Bodmin, Brecon, Perth, Carlisle, Belfast, Enniskillen, Richmond N.York, Alnick, York etc
We have a fascinating little National Trust place near us called Patterson's Spade Mill. Definitely the last working spademill in the UK and Ireland, and possibly the world! The NT warden is an ex road racer, and a real character. He takes you through the whole process starting with a billet of steel, and then using a massive trip hammer and associated machinery driven off belts from a lay shaft, makes a spade in front of you. Originally it would have had a waterwheel, but a water turbine was installed in Victorian times, and is still used to this day. You can buy a finished spade as a working tool, or as a nice momento of a lost craft. In fact, we might visit here on our Shepherds Rest rally at Easter   
We're a diverse bunch on this forum, with a broad geographical spread, so just a suggestion, but why don't each of us post up some details of an interesting local museum or place of interest on this thread?

[spooky]

Pendine is very good but check if `babs` is there before you go, missing last twice i have been !!   
Mike Barry museum is well worth a visit, phone to check it`s open first though..   

and the `Hub` in Alston... 

hope the links work

[iansoady]

H J Pugh of Ledbury have a bike & parts auction on the 4th March. Always a good selection there.

http://www.hjpugh.com/cyclesales/040317catalogue.pdf

There's a cezet for those that like such things, an MZ, a very interesting looking Seeley 3. Plus an Ariel Leader but unfortunately I'm not in a position to go for that yet......

[Richard]

Whilst Pendine is small try following it up with a visit too the Museum of Internal Fire on the Welsh coast north of Cardigan. Spot the tiny engines based on motorcycle motors. Lots off semi diesels and a monster gas turbine on start up days. Should appeal to those who enjoy a big piston.

[Moto63]

Ooo eerr more tea vicar. "Big pistons" and coming from a man who clearly "always wears protection" 😉😉

[Rossco500]

Every day is a learning day as they say - been to Cumbria many times and didn't know these places existed! I must admit I prefer the smaller local museums you stumble upon by accident - like the Morgan 3-wheeler collection in Rolvedon (in Kent?) I happened to pass on the way back from a trip to Europe about 10 years ago.

[iansoady]

Some auction results from the H&H auction at Donington.

£24K for a Venom Thruxton and over £22K for a Vincent Comet are just ridiculous to me. More than a Garden Gate Manx at £18K which to me is a much nicer machine.

Other interesting results were a DR400 for £1200, a tidy looking Birmingham Scott Squirrel for less than £4K and a quite tidy looking Enfield for £1K.

http://www.handh.co.uk/auctions/results-2/209/donington-park

[Rossco500]

As you say it's hard to fathom what some of these bikes are fetching - on the flip side the Bridgestone 175 and Moto Guzzi Nuovo Falcone look good value (although the Guzzi is unregistered).

[timbo]

Thanks for posting Ian. Very interesting. I reckon a lot of stuff is going for way over value. I have a good friend who inherited/bought a Comet. He can't believe what they are worth, and reckons, that really they should be worth no more than approx. £6000. I reckon a lot of 'investors' are in for a very big shock in not too many years, as I predict that the whole market will collapse. I'm 50 years old, which is regarded as young to have any interest in old Brit bikes, and I don't see anyone coming behind me 

[Moto63]

I totally agree with you on this one Tim, it's something I've been saying myself for a few years now. I'm almost 54 (April) and I've very little interest in "old Brit iron" and I think it's just the era you're brought up in. To me the classics are circa 1975 onwards anything before that and my interest starts to flag a little. I've absolutely nothing against older stuff, nothing whatsoever. Just my interest isn't the same. Must dash just got some work to do on my classic .......XBR tracker project 🔧🔩🔩🤘
Cheers,Michael

[SteveC#222]

Agree with both of you, prices of certain Brit bikes are beyond belief. I don't know if you saw some old Brough Superiors found in an outhouse the other year (5 I think it was). Quite literally piles of rust, frames, tanks, engines crumbling away but they sold something like £20K!! ridiculous!......my wife's grandad had a Brough Sup...also knew Lawrence of Arabia when he was stationed at RAF Cranwell......wish she'd inherited that!  As Tim says, no-one coming through that seems interested in the old Brit stuff and no matter what you paid for it, it's only worth what someone is prepared to pay.

........( whisper it but have you noticed that the asking price of a really nice GB500 has dropped from £6.5K to £4.5k in the last year or so?)