Everyone has their passions. I, for example, enjoy collecting football shirts. Other people like stamps. Some people like vintage tractors. Oliver Godfrey, from Cheffins, is very good at auctioning them. It is important to understand people and their passions.
So we asked Oliver to join the Country Life Podcast, to talk us through the slightly niche world of vintage tractor buying, selling and collecting. He is the best man to ask. Not only is he a man of the countryside, who has a burning passion for all things tractor, his work at Cheffins recently saw him handle the largest sale of vintage tractors in Europe.
• Listen to Country Life podcast on Apple Podcasts
• Listen to Country Life podcast on Spotify
• Listen to Country Life podcast on Audible
We talk about what makes a tractor great, his record-breaking sale in 2022, and crawling around people's dusty old sheds looking for hidden gems ('There's a lot of dark sheds in this country, and we've not been through all of them. You never know what you're going to find').
But most importantly, we discuss why people love them. They are fun. They bring back memories of summer. You can drive them around. And the market for them seems to be doing better than ever. Is now the time to move away from gold and invest in Vintage Tractor? We don't do financial advice.
It was a great episode, and something a little different. I hope you enjoy it.
Episode credits
Host: James Fisher
Guest: Oliver Godfrey
Producer and editor: Toby Keel
Music: JuliusH via Pixabay
-
The pinnacle of the English style of gardening, as fine today as it was a century agoCharles Quest-Ritson has just returned to Great Dixter for the first time in years — and it's 'the high point of all my garden visiting for a long time. I cannot recommend it too highly'.
-
How the acrobatic buzzard survived persecution to become one of Britain's best avian huntersIt may appear lethargic, but no one could argue with the hunting prowess of the common buzzard when it transforms into a surging missile intent on an unsuspecting victim.
-
Ken Follett on Stonehenge, building cathedrals, and the glaring flaw in Shakespeare's greatest soliloquyThe bestselling author Ken Follett joins the Country Life Podcast
-
The finest wines available to humanity, and how to buy them, with Beth PearceBeth Pearce MW, head of buying at Flint Wines, joins the Country Life Podcast
-
Levison Wood: Trekking the Nile, near-death experiences and why nothing beats a cup of tea and a piece of toastThe adventurer, explorer, writer and film-maker Levison Wood joins James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast.
-
Bruce Hodgson: Artichoke's founder on catflaps, carpentry and the future of craftsBruce Hodgson, one of Britain's best furniture makers and carpenters, joins the Country Life Podcast.
-
The truth about P.G. Wodehouse: Robert Daws on playing England's greatest comic writerThe actor Robert Daws starred alongside Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie in Jeeves and Wooster back in the 1990s, and the work of P.G. Wodehouse has been part of his decades-long career ever since. He joined the Country Life Podcast.
-
Marcus Janssen: The man behind Schöffel on Chelsea Lifejackets, bagging a 'MacNab' and recognising the best of the British countrysideMarcus Janssen of Schöffel joins the Country Life podcast.
-
Corinne Fowler: Exploring the hidden history of the British countryside, one walk at a timeProfessor Corinne Fowler joins the Country Life Podcast.
-
Steve Backshall on sharks, quicksand, and getting his fingertips eaten by piranhasThe adventurer, broadcaster, scientist and writer Steve Backshall joins the Country Life podcast.
