WILL the secret Warwick buyer appear again to snap up Jackie Howe’s shears?
Sotheby’s is offering the shears with which the Warwick-born Jack Howe set a record for mechanical shearing in 1892.
Already famous for hand-shearing 321 merino sheep in a day, Howe shore 237 sheep in a working day with the mechanical shears now up for auction.
The medals Howe won for his feats of shearing were expected to earn $35,000 at auction five years ago but went for more than ten times that – $360,000.
The buyer was an anonymous party from Warwick.
Sotheby’s estimate the mechanical shears which will be auctioned on 29 October in Melbourne will fetch between $15,000 and $25,000.
It is not known whether the Warwick purchaser of the medals will bid, but based on their sale the shears could well attract bids far above the estimate.
The shears are inscribed “presented to Jack Howe by the Wolseley S.S.M.Co January 1893”.
Howe, who was born near Warwick in 1861, used the shears for many years.
“Sotheby’s Australia is honoured to be entrusted with the sale of Jackie Howe’s mechanical shears,” said Geoffrey Smith, chairman of Sotheby’s Australia.
“While the man is no longer with us, his legacy remains through the tool of his trade.
“Jackie Howe was not only a champion of the shearing shed, but also a
champion for the worker, and contributed strongly to the development of the Australian Labor Movement,” said Mr Smith.
