This column originally appeared in September 2012.
I grew up in ‘60s when the annual family reunion, held at the city park, was one of the high points of the summer. When I think back on those times there are three vivid memories that come to me. A huge table filled with pies and cakes, a lot of really old people that they told me I was related to, and playing in the park’s huge sandbox with my cousin’s collection of toy farm equipment.
Any of you who grew up as a mid-20th century farm kid will well remember those wonderful tractors, plows and wagons in the famous John Deere green and International Harvester red. In fact, they strike such a nostalgic chord with those of us from that era that they are finding an ever-growing audience of collectors.
It started as the dream of German immigrant Fred Ertl. For many years he believed that collectors of all ages would be attracted to a line of scale model agricultural toys, made with the exact detail of their full-size counterparts. Raising a family of five sons and working full time as a journeyman for the Adams Company of Dubuque, Iowa afforded him with little time to pursue his dream. But all of that changed in the fall of 1945 when a labor dispute left him unemployed.
Ertl set up a crude shop in the basement of his home and set about making toy tractors from the designs of agricultural giants International Harvester and John Deere. His earliest efforts were made from surplus aluminum aircraft pistons that he melted in his furnace and formed in hand-made sand molds. With the help of his five sons, he hand assembled and painted each toy at his kitchen table, removed the back seat from the family automobile, filled it with the miniature farm implements and set out to peddle his wares at the local five and dimes.
In 1947 Ertl relocated his family and his company to Dyersville, Iowa where his business flourished. His dream had become a reality and over the next five decades the Ertl Toy company grew to be the largest producer of farm toy replicas in the world, holding licenses to produce the designs of every major farm implement company in America.
In addition to IH and John Deere toys, you will find detailed models with decals from Case, Ford, Massey Ferguson, Allis Chalmers, and Minneapolis-Moline. There are three categories of collectible tractors and implements; shelf model, collector edition, and precision. Shelf models are manufactured over a period of several years and are at the low end of the value range. Limited or collector editions are limited to a one time order or a specific quantity produced, which makes them of some value. Precision farm toys are replicas that are highly detailed and will be numbered in series and of the greatest value.
Wonderfully detailed farm toys are still being made today and are available in the $40-$60 range. These, however, are of little interest to serious collectors. For the best investment of your money I would go the extra $100 or so and invest in authentic antique farm toys.
By the early ‘50s farm toys were being produced by many of the nation’s major toy companies. In addition to Ertl, names to watch for include Arcade, Barclay, Hubble, Marklin and Vindex.
For more detailed information on this field of collecting go to www.nationalfarmtoymuseum.com or better yet, consider a drive to Iowa in November to attend the Museum’s annual toy show. Now in it’s 34th year, it is hailed as the “granddaddy of ‘em all.” Check them out online at www.toyfarmer.com. Until next time . . . Linda
Linda Kennett is a professional liquidation consultant specializing in down-sizing for seniors and may be reached at 317-258-7835 or lkennett@indy.rr.com
