Velocette

This year the Autumn Stafford Sale seemed more eccentric than normal, with some extraordinary motorcycles selling for not very much, and at the other end of the scale, several of the most expensive two-stroke motorcycles ever sold at auction.

The average motorcycle show attendee in the US has gotten used to events that feature a range of chopped, bobbed, lowered and chromed out V-twins that mostly wear the Harley Davidson badge. Then there's the Quail Motorcycle Gathering, where the bikes and the crowd are far more diverse.​

Bonhams' twice yearly Staffordshire auctions are held in the heartland of Britain's heritage-rich motorcycle country, regularly throwing up basket cases and barn finds of extraordinary value and deceased estates with significant caches of rare motorcycles. This week was no different.