1942 General Motors Holden anti-tank gun sells for $45,000

UPDATE, February 23, 2022: A Holden-built anti-tank gun has sold at auction for $45,000, with bidding jumping by nearly $20,000 over a 24-hour period.

A spokesperson from Lloyds told WhichCar the Trafalgar Holden Museum had secured the winning bid for the 1942-built World War II relic, saying it will go on display in the Gippsland facility.

The Australian Government had previously stepped in to enact the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act, preventing some items from the Lloyds auction from heading overseas (more below).

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The story to here

February 19, 2022: A rare and relatively unknown piece of Holden's past manufacturing efforts has come up for sale, with an anti-tank gun made by General Motors Holden becoming one piece of many in Lloyds' militia auction.

Manufactured by GMH at its Woodville facility in South Australia in 1942, the 2 Pounder anti-tank gun is one of 892 to be produced in Australia, with its siblings used by troops in the Middle East, Greece, Malaya and New Guinea throughout World War II.

It's one of more than 10,000 pieces up for grabs in the auction, with the Australian Government stepping in to prevent certain items from heading overseas – declaring some as Australian Protected Objects under the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986.

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Lloyds Auctions COO Lee Hames said they had only recently become aware of the Act, supporting the Government's move to make sure the historical artefact stays in Australia.

"We commend the Government for preserving and keeping history within Australia. We really hope Australian museums and libraries perhaps purchase some of these items to display and preserve these significant pieces of history, and honour them with educational purposes for many years to come,” said Hames.

“Perhaps Holden might even purchase the 2 Pounder Anti-Tank Gun to preserve and put on display at its head office."

This might be a difficult task given the manufacturer no longer exists in Australia outside of its former dealer network, as General Motors acts as an importer to its American brand, Chevrolet.

At the time of publication, bidding for the anti-tank gun is up to $26,500 with the auction ending at 8.10pm AEDT tonight (February 19).