A water tank dating back to the 1930s has sold for a record price at a clearing sale in north-east Victoria.
The Furphy water tank and cart came from a farm in Beechworth and sold for $61,300 — believed to be more than double the previous record.
Kevin Hicks Real Estate clearing sale manager Chelsea McKay said she believed $61,300 was a new record for the Furphy brand.
Her company previously sold a Furphy cart for $26,000 in Echuca.
"Furphy tanks always sell well, we did sell one in Echuca village a number of years ago for a record at the time," Ms McKay said.
The horse-drawn Furphy water carriers were made in Shepparton, Victoria, and were a common sight on farms from the late 1800s.
The word "furphy", meaning a rumour or false story, is thought to have come about during World War I, when Furphy water tanks were stationed near toilets for hand washing and became centres of gossip.
"The owners of this one didn't know much about the history of the tank, only that it had been sitting on the farm for years," Ms McKay said.
"We hadn't seen one with the Furphy pump on the front [and] had no real indication to the value.
"We spoke to a couple of local collectors who agreed that it would be very sought after, which it was."
Ms McKay said by the end of the online auction's first day, the tank had already passed the $25,000 mark.
"I knew it was going to make good money, but it blew us out of the water," she said.
Growing more valuable
Furphy water carts have in recent years become collector's items, with tanks, taps and handles all fetching good money.
"An end can sell for any where [between] $800-1,500 on its own," Ms McKay said.
"The taps and handles can sell for hundreds of dollars each.
"Furphys are becoming more collectable every year, but nothing could prepare us for this one."
Furphy collector and curator at Shepparton's Furphy Museum, Josh Powels said it was definitely a new record for the brand.
"With the way Furphy collecting is going, and new collectors coming on the scene, I'm not surprised at this sale, but it is a huge amount compared to anything else that has been paid before," he said.
Mr Powels said what made this item in particular so valuable was the original Furphy pump still attached to the tank.
"The Furphy pumps themselves are very rare item," he said.
"When a pump was fitted in the 1930s and 1940sm it more than doubled the price of the tanks for the farmer to buy.
"Also the tank ends which the pumps were fitted to had a special bracket, and these backets were only produced on 1930 and 1942 model ends.
"The 1942s are very hard to come by.
"It was very rare and it shows that there's still things sitting out there in paddocks that people don't realise the significance of."
Vendors Chris and Karen Bartsh said the tank had been part of an estate settlement and it belonged to Mr Bartsh's father.
"Chris remembers his dad buying the Furphy second hand from someone in Murmungee, Victoria, about 50 years ago," Mrs Bartsh said.
"He and his sister were surprised it made more than double the amount of the previous record."
