An extensive catalogue of historic livestock and agricultural documents, photographs and other industry memorabilia, is being offered to interested stakeholders via an online auction.

The online marketing platform Livestock.com.au is being used to showcase and more than 100 historic items from a set of archive records held by a pastoral agency, now surplus to requirements.

Sample of an old had-written ledger from Weribone Merino Stud from the 1920s

While the process will function as a week-long ‘auction’ ending at close of business next Wednesday, in truth the owners will be more than happy if successful bids simply cover postage and despatch. The main purpose is to expose the catalogue to people with a connection with one or more of the items being disposed of.

Included in the diverse range of items up for offer are old pastoral company ledgers – vast leather-bound documents all hand-written in Indian ink; old brand records from the Northern Territory; historic photographs of various agricultural activity; pre and post-war journals from the Victorian Department of Agriculture; 100-year-old annuals from Sydney’s Royal Agricultural Show; and sundry other items. Famous names like S. Kidman & Co pop up on some of the company records.

A full catalogue of listings and descriptions can be accessed here. More items will be added from later today.

This well-preserved RAS Annual from Sydney show in 1912 documents livestock show culture from 104 years ago.

“What’s most important is that we try to find the right homes for some of these historically important old documents,” a spokesman for the catalogue of items said.

“They cover a range of regions and topics across southern, eastern and northern Australia, and many will have greater historic significance in their original district, or with people connected in some way with the firms or organisations,” he said.

The collection includes these Victorian Department of Agriculture journals from the World War 2 era.

Most of the items have never before been offered for sale, and it is anticipated that the unique and unusual nature of some lots will attract significant interest.

“It’s an opportunity for members of the agricultural community to secure their own piece of history,” the spokesman said.

The first lots appear on livestock.com.au today, with individual lots running for seven  days, and additional items commencing over subsequent days.