Rare, Antique Illinois Tractor Goes For World Record Auction Price

I'm just going to go ahead and admit that even though I grew up in a farming community, I don't know squat about tractors. Maybe even less than squat.

The last time I was near a tractor, it was to pry my kids off of the one that sits in front of the Machine Shed at East State and Bell School--and no, I don't know what kind of tractor that was, either. I do know that they tried to talk me into buying them one. And failed.

It was easier to drag them off the pig.

The One Thing About Tractors That I Now Know Is That Some Of The Old Ones Can Go For Big Money At Auction

Aumann Auctions of Nokomis, Illinois held their Pre-30 auction last month, offering bidders a chance at buying themselves tractor engines and vehicles built before the 1930s. The prized lot in the sale was this 1913 Case 30-60.

Some background, from WGN News:

The J.I. Case Company only built 500 of these tractors, its first attempt at a gas-powered vehicle. In 1913, the tractor was sold for approximately $2,500 ($72,600 adjusted for inflation). Today, only five are known to exist. The other four are currently in private collections.

Is There Any Antique Or "Vintage" Item That You'd Pay This Kind Of Money For?

And, by "this kind of money" I mean $1,470,000. That total sets two records: the most money ever paid for an antique tractor, and the most money ever paid in history for any tractor.

That's more than you'd spend for the most expensive tractor on today's market, the 16-V 747 Big Bud. The Big Bud retails for $1.3 million. Here's what it looks like: