A New Year of Auctions to Fill Up the 2017 Calendar

Every year, I pore over our calendar thinking and dreaming about upcoming travel plans. This year is no different. If able, I head to the Florida Flywheelers Antique Engine Club’s annual show in February to escape the Midwest winter. By February, I am over winter’s stark beauty that I was enthralled with at Christmas. The winter snow and frosted windows come February take on a gloom that makes me want to head anywhere south. I want to soak up the sun before March rolls around with spring planting.

This December, I took one of the trips south a little early—the trip was to North Little Rock, Arkansas, where I stopped at the Plantation Agriculture Museum. This wonderful museum in nearby Scott, Arkansas, included a lot of cotton history and Linda Goza, the superintendent of the museum, explained that this plantation farm was originally started in 1912 by Conway Scott. The township was named after Mr. Scott who received a land grant from President James Madison for 160 acres.

Over time, Scott leased the store that is now the museum. The land and contents were later purchased by Robert Dortch who converted the building into a plantation museum. The grounds include a cotton gin, exhibit building, a variety of antique tractors, and a few cotton pickers out front.

This is just one example of the cool pieces of equipment at the Plantation Agriculture Museum in Scott, Arkansas.

Another trip that I took in December was to the Yankee Air Museum at the Willow Run Airport near Ypsilanti, Michigan, where I got a chance to fly in a World War II Douglas C-47. This was a thrill along with the industrial tractors that were moving the planes. These cool Clarks were made by the Clark Tructractor, a division of Clark Equipment Co., in Battle Creek, Michigan. The museum was a chance to see old iron in action. Be sure to add in a few museums to your calendar along with your auctions to learn more about the machines that carved out our agricultural past. 

I got to fly in this WWII Douglas C-47 plane that is housed at the Yankee Air Museum.

This Clark Tructractor was at work at the Yankee Air Museum near Ypsilanti, Michigan

Fill out your calendar with museums, auctions, and shows, and be ready for your spring and summer antique tractor, toy, literature, and memorabilia fix!

Sullivan Auctions — Hamilton, Illinois

While this auction doesn’t really take place in the spring, it has an open bid date of Jan. 9, 2017, and a close cate of Jan. 16, 2017. The opportunity for unique collectibles was too good not to mention. Sullivan Auctions is holding an online-only auction of the Borrowman Collection with 1,000 lots at no reserve. The lots include a variety of items, like John Deere badges, John Deere jewelry, John Deere fire-brigade items, Case XX Knives, coins, currency, medallions, and more. The first 1,000 lots sell first, and they are followed by another series. Check out the auction’s website for details.

This John Deere buckle is one of the collectibles selling at Sullivan’s online-only auction.

This John Deere ring is one of the many collectibles selling at this online-only auction.

Aumann Auctions Inc. — Westminster, California

If you are looking for an excuse to go where the weather is warm, look no further! Aumann Auctions has a crawler auction in Westminster, California, on March 18, 2017. The auction is the Warne Trust Collection that includes rare crawlers from Best, Holt, Rumely Oil Pull, Case, and more. There is even an early Autocar Truck that will be auctioned. Visit Aumann’s website for more information.

Lulich Auction — Lyndon Station, Wisconsin

Lulich Auctions will be auctioning farm toys, pedal tractors, memorabilia, literature, parts, tractors, and equipment of all makes and models at their 13th Annual Spring Auction Extravaganza at Lyndon Station, Wisconsin, on March 31–April 1, 2017. Lulich Auctions is a family-owned business. For more information, call Dave Lulich at 608-963-3510 or visit its website www.lulichauction.com.

Mecum Auctions — Muscatine, Iowa

Mecum Auctions will sell off the Ron Drosselmeyer collection of 175 tractors in Muscatine, Iowa, on June 2–3, 2017. Visit Mecum’s website for more details.

The calendar is filling up quickly. There are great auctions, shows, and more to dream about as the temperatures dip. When it clears off, maybe I will see you there!

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