Alexandra gold-mining historian Bob Kilgour is urging Otago local authorities to get their cheque books out at a Labour Weekend auction of old mining equipment.
The auction at Albert Town on October 26 will include a large assortment of mining equipment rarely seen for sale.
Amid the 350 lots are sluice guns, railway wagons, hardwood timber beams and four tonnes of railway spikes.
Mr Kilgour told the Otago Daily Times yesterday it would be sad to see the rare relics leave the province.
''It should almost be bought by the district councils or something to be kept in the area.''
He accepted councils did not necessarily have the cash available for such purchases but believed the items in the auction were ''just as important'' as the Eden Hore dress collection the Central Otago District Council bought recently for $40,000.
''I collect memorabilia from the mining era and I try to retain it in Central Otago, but it's become quite an expensive exercise.
''The problem is, if you have got a couple of guys with a lot of money they [the auction relics] will go for quite a good price I would imagine.''
The auction is being held on behalf of Infinity Investment Group, of Wanaka.
Infinity field manager Richard Sheldon said yesterday most of the items were bought from Harliwich Holdings, of Roxburgh, seven or eight years ago. It was intended most would become features of a new hotel Infinity planned to build above the Wanaka marina.
However, the development had not gone ahead and now the items were surplus to requirements.
''We really haven't got anywhere or anything in the future, that we know of, where we can use it.''
Auction organiser Colin Moorfoot said he would like to see the relics bought locally but expected most would be used in the rebuilding of Christchurch bars.
Mr Moorfoot said the company would not be selling them off cheaply,
pointing to an old wooden hardwood bridge beam he believed might fetch $5000.
Mr Kilgour suspected some items might have been used originally by the Ladysmith Gold Mining Company or the Roxburgh Amalgamated Gold Mining Company.
He believed the equipment should be returned to where it was originally used.
When asked for his view on the auction, historic places regional archaeologist in Dunedin Dr Matthew Schmidt said the owner could sell the items but the trust ''always encourages people that if the provenance of gold-mining heritage items is known, then these are returned to the heritage site from which they originated''.
Dr Schmidt said pre-1900 artefacts could not be removed from an archaeological site without authority.
