A "breathtaking" collection of Ferguson tractor memorabilia is expected to fetch "some very significant prices" when it is auctioned in East Anglia later this month.
More than 800 items amassed by the late Warwickshire enthusiast Jim Russell will go under the hammer at the Cheffins machinery saleground at Sutton, near Ely, on November 25.
It is regarded as one of the most comprehensive Massey Ferguson collections in the world, compiled over 50 years.
It includes toys, catalogues, instruction manuals, models and a 1936 Ferguson Brown Type-A which was previously owned by well-known Massey Ferguson historian, Ben Serjeant.
Auctioneers said one of the most important lots is the final signature written by Harry Ferguson, dated April 6, 1954, prior to his resignation as honorary chairman at renowned agricultural machinery firm Massey-Harris-Ferguson Engineering Ltd.
There is also a Ferguson Sherman Plough catalogue, which was used by Mr Ferguson to set out headings for a proposed tractor catalogue, and has been annotated by him throughout.
And among the models is a Ferguson-mounted combine, built to a two-inch scale, which took more than 3,000 hours to complete.
Cheffins associate Tom Godsmark said it would be a "very special sale".
"This is certainly the largest private collection of Ferguson models, tinplate toys and memorabilia to ever have come to auction and is most likely to be the largest in existence in the world," he said.
"The sheer scale of it is quite breathtaking, as is the condition of these pieces which have been displayed for over half a century.
"Jim has to have been one of the most devoted enthusiasts we have come across to date, even making major modifications to his house to fit his collection, with a dedicated room packed with display cabinets and even a specially built extension to the house with provisions to allow the Ferguson tractor to be run inside the house."
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