More than 65 combines and 45 agricultural tractors will be sold in the Company's St. Louis unreserved public auction on December 20-selection of agricultural equipment also featured in upcoming Chicago, IL and Minneapolis, MN auctions

ST. LOUIS, MO, Dec. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA), the world's largest auctioneer of farm, construction and other heavy equipment, will sell a large selection of late model agricultural equipment at its unreserved public auction in St. Louis, MO on December 20, 2012. Equipment highlights in the auction include 49 agricultural tractors, 66 combines, 39 headers and more. Late model agricultural equipment will also be sold at other upcoming unreserved auctions in Chicago, IL (December 12) and Minneapolis, MN (December 14). Bids can be made in the auctions in-person at the auction site, online in real time at www.rbauction.com or by proxy.

"This upcoming auction in St. Louis features a great mix of late model agricultural equipment from John Deere, Case and other quality manufacturers—and we will continue to add industrial, transportation and agricultural equipment right up to the day of the sale," said Nick Pacino, Regional Sales Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. "As with all Ritchie Bros. auctions, the auction is completely open to the public—everyone is welcome to come to our site to inspect and test the equipment prior to the auction. With close to 250 of the 500 items in the auction being agricultural, we have a really good selection of quality ag equipment for anyone in the industry. Every item will be sold on auction day to highest bidder, regardless of price—with no minimum bids or reserve prices whatsoever."

More than 500 equipment items and trucks will be sold in the St. Louis, MO auction (2436 Old Country Inn Dr., Caseyville, IL 62232). Specific equipment highlights in the auction include:

• 23 late model John Deere combines
• 18 late model Case IH combines
• 16 late model John Deere 4WD tractors
• 15 late model John Deere headers
• seven late model John Deere MFWD tractors
• four late model Case IH 4WD tractors
• four late model John Deere sprayers

A large selection of late-model agricultural equipment will be sold for McLean Implement, a family-owned John Deere dealership serving Southeastern Illinois since 1964.

"The majority of the equipment we are selling—including combines, 4WD tractors and row crop tractors—is low-hour machines and only one to two years old," said Mike Clark, General Manager, McLean Implement Inc. "We came to Ritchie Bros. for their help in selling this equipment because they can reach audiences we can't normally reach ourselves. When it comes to selling equipment of this size and this volume there is no auctioneer better than Ritchie Bros."

Chicago, IL auction - Wednesday, December 12 starting at 8:00 a.m. (Central Time)

(2400 Ritchie Rd., Morris, IL 60450)

A week prior to the St. Louis auction, Ritchie Bros. will sell more than 1,300 equipment items at an unreserved public auction in Chicago on December 12. Agricultural equipment highlights in the auction include: 26 agricultural tractors, 11 combines and a selection of headers, excavators, loaders and more.

Minneapolis, MN auction - Friday, December 14 starting at 8:00 a.m. (Central Time)

(6000 W Frontage Rd., Medford, MN 55049)

On December 14, Ritchie Bros. will conduct another unreserved auction in Minneapolis, MN featuring more than 700 equipment items and trucks. Agricultural equipment highlights in the auction include 15 agricultural tractors, 10 combines, and a selection of headers, excavators, loaders and more.

Consignments are still being accepted for all three of these upcoming auctions; anyone interested in selling their equipment can contact: +1.815.941.6400 (for Chicago, IL); +1.507.774.5050 (for Minneapolis, MN); or +1.618.688.1625 (for St. Louis, MO).

General auction details:

• Auction locations & phone numbers:
• St. Louis, MO: 2436 Old Country Inn Dr., Caseyville, IL 62232 | Phone: +1.618.688.1625
• Chicago, IL: 2400 Ritchie Rd., Morris, IL 60450 | Phone: +1.815.941.6400
• Minneapolis, MN: 6000 W Frontage Rd., Medford, MN 55049 | Phone: +1.507.774.5050
• Every auction is open to the public; registration to bid is free; a refundable bid deposit may be required
• How to register and bid:
• In person at the auction site
• Online at rbauction.com - register in advance and bid online in real time on auction day; a refundable bid deposit may be required; first-time online bidders should register several days in advance of the auction
• By proxy - phone the auction site to place a proxy bid

About Ritchie Bros.
Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is the world's largest industrial auctioneer, selling more equipment to on-site and online bidders than any other company in the world. Ritchie Bros. offers services that enable the world's builders to easily and confidently exchange equipment. The Company conducts hundreds of unreserved public auctions each year, selling a broad range of used and unused equipment, trucks and other assets utilized in the construction, transportation, agricultural, material handling, mining, forestry, petroleum and marine industries. Ritchie Bros. has over 110 locations in more than 25 countries, including 44 auction sites worldwide. The Company maintains a web site at www.rbauction.com and sponsors an equipment wiki at www.RitchieWiki.com.

ATTENTION MEDIA: Photos and other media resources are available for use at http://www.rbauction.com/media. Members of the public and the media can follow Ritchie Bros. on Twitter @RitchieBros.

SOURCE Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers