Auctioneer Bill Young believes high value treasures are getting harder to locate and find in rural Queensland sheds, but still advises it's worth checking, especially for Australian made items with historic value.
His Bundaberg auction centre has just taken possession of a 1977 Holden Torana LX that has been buried under bags and boxes for almost 30 years, with the vehicle only uncovered when the owner died and his family decided to clean-out the shed.
"The Torana just came in from a deceased estate from a Biggenden farm," he said.
"It was parked-up by the late-husband in 1996, and when he died the family decided to have a shed clean-up and subsequently they found the car.
"They knew it might be there but it was a long time forgotten, especially his wife, she had forgotten all about it, his now grown children hadn't forgotten about it but didn't know what their dad had done with it."
The Australian made 'muscle car' is highly collectable and can fetch prices from $17,000 to $300,000 depending on condition.
Mr Young is unsure exactly how much the Biggenden find will attract when it goes under the hammer this weekend.
"The family don't know how much it's worth and I don't know until I put it to the market," he said.
"But we got it out on Sunday, brought it here on the tilt tray Monday.
"On a really good day it might go for $100,000, but I think it will easily make $50,000."
Mr Young has worked in the auction business for 40 years and owned his Bundaberg centre for 25 years with his team assisting people looking to sell-off items, usually downsizing or after the death of a family member.
Mr Young stressed while finding valuable items was getting more difficult, any Australian made products with historic value, like Furphy tanks, cowbells, petrol bowers and of course cars, could fetch large sums of money.
"Check your sheds, and if you don't know what it is give me a call, like this week I have a 1930-31 studebaker hearse believed to be one of only three left in the world and a 1972 GT Falcon from Gayndah, " he said.
"The best find we have had was the genuine Bathurst HK Monaro last year tucked away in a shed since 2006, the gentleman died and the family discovered it and we sold it for $200,000.
"There are things out there that haven't been seen for 20 or 30 years and it's not until the next generation, and it is usually caused by death and the sale of the property that they are uncovered."
