Bidders from 33 countries participate in Ritchie Bros. auction in North East

NORTH EAST, MD, June 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - More than 2,400 people from
33 countries registered to bid in the unreserved public auction conducted by
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA) in North East, Maryland on June
24 & 25, 2009. Ritchie Bros. (www.rbauction.com), the world's largest
industrial auctioneer, sold more than 3,200 heavy equipment items and trucks
over two days, generating gross auction proceeds in excess of US$25 million.
The auction featured a large selection of aerial and lifting equipment,
including more than 750 scissorlifts, 250 boom lifts, 100 telescopic
forklifts, 90 forklifts and 25 cranes.
Almost 1,600 people registered to bid in person; more than 800 other people
registered to bid online in real time. Online bidders purchased almost US$8
million of equipment and trucks (31 percent of the total gross auction
proceeds). Out-of-state bidders purchased more than US$21 million of equipment
(85 percent), including more than US$5 million of equipment that went to
buyers from outside the United States (21 percent).
"The auction went extremely well," said Steve Kriebel, Ritchie Bros. Regional
Manager. "The variety and quality of the equipment, and the fact that every
item was being sold in a fair, unreserved manner, attracted a global bidding
audience to North East. A lot of equipment went to buyers in the United
Kingdom, Africa, the Middle East, Mexico and Central America. That
international participation helped us deliver strong pricing for our local
consignors."
Ritchie Bros. conducted 18 other unreserved public auctions in four countries
last week, including the Grand Opening of a new permanent agricultural auction
site in London, Ontario on June 24, 2009.

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. The Company has over 110
locations in more than 25 countries including 38 auction sites worldwide.
Ritchie Bros. sells, through unreserved public auctions, a broad range of used
and unused industrial assets, including equipment, trucks and other assets
utilized in the construction, transportation, agricultural, material handling,
mining, forestry, petroleum and marine industries. The Company maintains a web
site at www.rbauction.com and sponsors an equipment wiki at
www.RitchieWiki.com.

Investors and potential investors should note that this information may not be
indicative of the overall financial performance of the Company for this or any
period.

SOURCE Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers

Kim Schulz, Manager, Corporate Communications, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers,
Mobile: (604) 788-5379 or email: kschulz@rbauction.com; Or Steve Kriebel,
Regional Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, North East auction site tel:
(410) 287-4330