6-K

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

Form 6-K

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13A-16 OR 15D-16 UNDER
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarter ended June 30, 2007

Commission File Number: 001-13425

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated

6500 River Road
Richmond, BC, Canada
V6X 4G5
(604) 273 7564
(Address of principal executive offices)

indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports
under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F

Form 20-F o     Form 40-F þ

indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper
as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1):      

indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper
as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7):      

indicate by check mark whether by furnishing information contained in this Form,
the registrant is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to
Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Yes o     No þ

If “Yes” is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in
connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-                    

EXHIBIT INDEX

Number	Description
99.1	Press release dated July 31, 2007 reporting the Company’s results as at and the for the period ended June 30, 2007

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

	Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated                             (Registrant)
Date: July 30, 2007	By:	/s/       Robert S. Armstrong
		Robert S. Armstrong,
		Corporate Secretary

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

NEWS RELEASE

RITCHIE BROS. AUCTIONEERS FIRST HALF
RESULTS SHOW CONTINUED STRENGTH;
DIVIDEND INCREASES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 31, 2007

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated (NYSE: RBA; TSX: RBA) today announced earnings growth of 17% over the first half of 2006, delivering net earnings of $44.1 million, or $1.26 per diluted weighted average share for the six months ended June 30, 2007. Net earnings growth in 2007 would have been 20%, excluding the effect of after-tax gains of $1.1 million recorded in the first half of 2006 on the sale of surplus property. The Company does not consider these gains to be part of its normal operating results. All dollar amounts are presented in United States dollars.

Gross auction proceeds (which until recently the Company referred to as gross auction sales) for the six months ended June 30, 2007 were $1.65 billion, 17% higher than the prior year’s first half gross auction proceeds and the largest first half in the Company’s history. Auction revenues for the first six months of 2007 were $163.9 million, representing growth of 22% compared to the first half of 2006. The Company’s auction revenue rate (auction revenues as a percentage of gross auction proceeds) was 9.96% for the first half of 2007, compared to 9.60% for the first six months of 2006.

During the first six months of 2007, Ritchie Bros. conducted 87 unreserved industrial auctions at locations throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Mexico and Asia. Nine regional gross auction proceeds records were set during the first half of 2007, including the largest auction in the Company’s history in February at its permanent auction site in Orlando, Florida, which achieved gross auction proceeds of over $172 million. The Company also held 146 unreserved agricultural auctions in the first half of 2007, generating gross auction proceeds of $94.1 million, compared to 115 agricultural auctions with gross auction proceeds of $98.9 million in the first half of 2006.

The Company sold in excess of 137,000 lots from over 17,000 industrial consignments and had more than 129,000 bidder registrations at its industrial auctions during the six months ended June 30, 2007. The Company’s live auctions continued to be enhanced by internet bidding, and in the first half of 2007 the Company sold nearly $305 million worth of trucks and equipment to on-line buyers using the Company’s rbauctionBid-Live system.

Although the Company’s auctions have varied in size over the last 12 months, the average Ritchie Bros. industrial auction in the 12 month period ended June 30, 2007 attracted over 1,400 bidder registrations (12 months ended June 30, 2006 —1,300) and featured around 1,400 lots (12 months ended June 30, 2006 — 1,300) consigned by 188 consignors (12 months ended June 30, 2006 — 182), generating average gross auction proceeds of approximately $15.9 million per auction (12 months ended June 30, 2006 — $13.9 million). The Company’s agricultural auctions for the 12 months ended June 30, 2007 averaged approximately $0.7 million in size, compared to approximately $0.9 million for the 12 months ended June 30, 2006.

During the period, the Company established regional auction units in Hartford, Connecticut and Paris, France. The Company also completed the purchase of land near Paris, France, Kansas City, Missouri and Grande Prairie, Alberta, and intends to construct new permanent auction sites at these locations.

Gross auction proceeds for the quarter ended June 30, 2007 were $945.3 million, the largest quarterly gross auction proceeds in the Company’s history. Auction revenues for the second quarter of 2007 were $94.5 million and the auction revenue rate was 10.00%.

Peter Blake, the Company’s CEO, commented: “Continued strong performances in all of our markets contributed to our earnings growth in the first half of this year, indicating to us that the momentum of our unreserved auction model remains intact. We are maintaining our focus on growing our earnings at a sustainable pace by pursuing a three-pronged growth strategy, focusing on: (1) our people, to build the team that will help us achieve our growth objectives; (2) our places, to add the capacity to handle our growth; and (3) our processes, to develop and improve the systems and processes we use to conduct our business. We have refined the way we articulate our strategy, but the core of our growth model is unchanged and continues to deliver strong results for our shareholders.”

The Company’s Board of Directors today announced the declaration of a quarterly cash dividend of $0.24 per common share payable on September 14, 2007 to shareholders of record on August 24, 2007, representing a 14% increase over the Company’s previous quarterly dividend.

Gross auction proceeds represent the total proceeds from all items sold at Ritchie Bros. auctions. The Company’s definition of gross auction proceeds may differ from those used by other participants in its industry. Gross auction proceeds is an important measure the Company uses in comparing and assessing its operating performance. It is not a measure of the Company’s financial performance, liquidity or revenue and is not presented in its consolidated financial statements. The Company believes that auction revenues, which is the most directly comparable measure in its Statements of Operations, and certain other line items, are best understood by considering their relationship to gross auction proceeds. Auction revenues represent the revenues earned by Ritchie Bros. in the course of conducting its auctions, and consist primarily of commissions earned on consigned equipment and net profit on the sale of equipment purchased by the Company and sold in the same manner as consigned equipment.

About Ritchie Bros.
Ritchie Bros. is the world’s largest auctioneer of industrial equipment, operating through over 110 locations in more than 25 countries around the world. The Company sells, through unreserved public auctions, a broad range of used and unused industrial assets, including trucks, equipment and other assets used in the construction, transportation, mining, forestry, petroleum, materials handling, marine, agricultural and real estate industries. Ritchie Bros. maintains a website at www.rbauction.com.

Earnings Conference Call
Ritchie Bros. is hosting a conference call to discuss its 2007 first half financial results at 8:00am Pacific Time (11:00am Eastern Time) on July 31, 2007. To access a live broadcast of the conference call, please go to the Ritchie Bros. website http://www.rbauction.com, click on ‘About Ritchie Bros.’ then click on ‘Investor Information’. Please go to the website at least fifteen minutes early to download and install any necessary audio software. A replay will be available on the website shortly after the call.

Forward-looking Statements
The discussion in this press release relating to future operating periods contains forward-looking statements (as defined in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) that involve risks and uncertainties, including, in particular, statements regarding anticipated results for future periods; the Company’s ability to grow its earnings at a sustainable pace, build its team that will help it achieve its growth objectives, add the capacity to handle its growth, and develop and improve the systems and processes it uses to conduct its business; and the Company’s proposed construction of a new auction sites in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Kansas City, Missouri and Paris, France. These risks and uncertainties include: the numerous factors that influence the supply of and demand for used equipment; fluctuations in the market values of used equipment; seasonal and periodic variations in operating results; actions of competitors; the success of the Company’s internet initiatives; conditions in local and regional markets; our ability to attract and retain key employees, develop additional auction sites and successfully complete our M07 and other systems upgrades, and other risks and uncertainties as detailed from time to time in the Company’s SEC and Canadian securities filings, including the Company’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2006, available on the SEC, SEDAR and Company’s websites. Actual results may differ materially from those forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update the information contained herein, which speaks only as of this date.

Consolidated Statements of Earnings (USD thousands,	Six months ended			Six months ended
except share and per share amounts)	June 30, 2007			June 30, 2006
	(unaudited)			(unaudited)
Gross auction proceeds	$	1,645,624		$	1,402,021
Auction revenues	$	163,905		$	134,653
Direct expenses		20,009			17,791
		143,896			116,862
Expenses:
Depreciation and amortization		9,008			6,314
General and administrative		65,062			52,704
Earnings from operations		69,826			57,844
Other income (expense):
Interest expense		(706	)		(720	)
Gain on disposition of capital assets		156			1,917
Other income		920			471
Earnings before income taxes		70,196			59,512
Income taxes		26,082			21,788
Net earnings	$	44,114		$	37,724
Net earnings per share (1)	$	1.27		$	1.09
Net earnings per share — diluted (1)	$	1.26		$	1.08
Weighted average shares outstanding — diluted		35,010,723			34,835,574

Net earnings in accordance with GAAP	$	44,114	$	37,724
Less: after-tax gain on sale of excess property (1)		—		(1,087	)
Adjusted net earnings	$	44,114	$	36,637
Adjusted net earnings per share	$	1.27	$	1.06
Adjusted net earnings per share — diluted	$	1.26	$	1.05

(1) Net earnings for the six months ended June 30, 2006 included total gains of $1,812 ($1,087 after tax) recorded on the sale of excess property. The Company highlighted this amount because it does not consider this gain to be part of the normal course of its operations.

Consolidated Statements of Earnings (USD thousands,	Three months ended			Three months ended
except share and per share amounts)	June 30, 2007			June 30, 2006
	(unaudited)			(unaudited)
Gross auction proceeds	$	945,256		$	830,493
Auction revenues	$	94,543		$	78,680
Direct expenses		12,938			11,365
		81,605			67,315
Expenses:
Depreciation and amortization		4,783			3,060
General and administrative		34,333			26,551
Earnings from operations		42,489			37,704
Other income (expense):
Interest expense		(380	)		(435	)
Gain on disposition of capital assets		93			1,821
Other income		568			182

Earnings before income taxes		42,770		39,272
Income taxes		16,215		14,746
Net earnings	$	26,555	$	24,526
Net earnings per share (1)	$	0.76	$	0.71
Net earnings per share — diluted (1)	$	0.76	$	0.70
Weighted average shares outstanding — diluted		35,071,331		34,949,753

Net earnings in accordance with GAAP	$	26,555	$	24,526
Less: after-tax gain on sale of excess property (1)		—		(1,087	)
Adjusted net earnings	$	26,555	$	23,439
Adjusted net earnings per share	$	0.76	$	0.68
Adjusted net earnings per share — diluted	$	0.76	$	0.67

(1) Net earnings for the quarter ended June 30, 2006 included a gain of $1,812 ($1,087 after tax) recorded on the sale of excess property. The Company does not consider this gain to be part of the normal course of its operations.

Selected Balance Sheet Data (USD thousands)	June 30, 2007		December 31, 2006
	(unaudited)
Current assets	$	362,292	$	228,067
Current liabilities		255,415		133,698
Working capital	$	106,877	$	94,369
Total assets		721,726		554,227
Long-term debt		43,896		43,081
Total shareholders’ equity		410,049		368,637

Selected Operating Data (unaudited)	Six months ended			Six months ended
	June 30, 2007			June 30, 2006
	(unaudited)			(unaudited)
Auction revenues as percentage of gross auction proceeds		9.96	%		9.60	%
Number of consignors at industrial auctions		17,321			15,726
Number of bidders at industrial auctions		129,112			118,157
Number of buyers at industrial auctions		40,672			36,252
Number of permanent auction sites		27			26
Number of regional auction units		10			7

For further information, please contact:
Jeremy Black
Director of Finance

Phone:	604 273 7564
Fax:	604 273 2405
Email:	ir@rbauction.com