Having Fun With Tractors and Adding to the Collection!
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Summer is a time for enjoying your antique tractor hobby. During the winter, you may be out working in the shop, tweaking all the little things that a tractor needs to keep in running order. Summer is the time to go for an antique tractor drive. Take the tractor to the local show or load it up for a national show a few states away.
This past June, my husband Keith and I took part in two new adventures, the first ever Land of Lincoln Expo in Carlinville, Illinois, and the Route 66 Antique Tractor Drive.
These riders were having a blast driving on historic U.S. Route 66.
We started out with 32 tractors and, except for a few mechanical issues, the drive was pretty smooth. We made a stop in Girard, Illinois, and enjoyed a visit to Doc’s Soda Fountain that houses Deck’s Pharmacy Museum.
Tractor drivers took a break in Girard, Illinois, and enjoyed a bit of Route 66 hospitality at Doc’s Soda Fountain.
The drive also made a stop at McLintock’s Saloon & Steakhouse in Standard City, Illinois, then returned to Carlinville. While I didn’t get to drive, because I was the photographer for the day, it was a heart rush to see tractors and history combine.
This drive had been one of Keith’s dreams for a long time. Together with these riders, he made it come true. What dream do you have for you and your tractor? Is there a barn where you want to take a family picture with your dad’s John Deere G, a tractor you want to take a spin with the grandson, or just a tractor on your auction list that you want to add to your collection?
The dream doesn’t have to be a tractor, it can be a toy that you want to buy that is just like the tractor you have or want. I don’t see myself ever owning a Minneapolis-Moline UDLX, but I sure do have a toy of my favorite tractor of all time!
Now is the time to check out the upcoming auctions and make dreams a reality.
Dann Auctioneers — Canandaigua, New York
On Thursday, July 13, 2017, Dann Auctioneers will host the New York State Two Cylinder XIII John Deere Consignment Auction in Canandaigua, New York. The auction will include John Deere tractors, equipment, parts, toys, signs, literature and memorabilia. For more details, visit Dann Auctioneers’ website.
Marshall Snyder Auctioneer — Morral, Ohio
On July 28–29, 2017, the Loudenslager Trust Farm Toy Auction, which includes an array of truck and construction toys, will be sold in Morral, Ohio. This is a huge auction with over 2,200 items for auction. Visit the auctions entry on AuctionZip here for details.
This is one of the construction toys that will be auctioned along with trucks from the Loudenslager Trust Farm Toy Auction.
Fine & Co. — Elkhart, Illinois
While the auctions listed usually focus on antique tractors, toys, or memorabilia, I had to take a minute and mention that on August 1, 2017, the mansion and land of the of the Old Gillett Farm in Elkhart, Illinois, will sell. Michael A. Fine, principal of Fine & Co., said, “Rarely in America, an opportunity to acquire a property like the 785-acre Old Gillett Farm in Elkhart, Illinois—stately, and historic.”
Fine proceeds to name some of the farm’s historic visitors like the family’s lawyer Abraham Lincoln, Ernest Hemingway, Cary Grant and his wife Betsy Drake, Marshall Field, and others.
While this is a historic place, it is related to farm history, because the Old Gillett Farm was the vision of John Dean Gillett renowned “Cattle King of the World.” Years ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to tour this beautiful home and couldn’t let the sale pass by without a mention. Visit Fine & Co.’s website for more information.
This mansion has been in the family for eight generations and was built by John Dean Gillett known as the “Cattle King of the World”
Wolgemuth Auction — Newville, Pennsylvania
Isaac and Mabel Martin’s lifelong collection of Minneapolis-Moline and other rare tractors and M-M parts will be sold on August 18–19, 2017, in Newville, Pennsylvania. Just a few of the tractors mentioned for sale include: an M-M G1000 Vista diesel with four-wheel drive, M-M RTI LP with cab, M-M M670 Vista, M-M UMIL with serial no. 1 (no. 1 of 42 tractors made), M-M R grader, and a Moline Universal D. Visit Wolgemuth Auction’s website for details.
Whalen Realty & Auction Ltd. — Wauseon, OH
The Ohio Chapter 6 of the National International Harvester Collectors Club are holding its 22nd annual two-day auction at the Fulton County Fairgrounds in Wauseon, Ohio, on November 3–4, 2017. The show will offer memorabilia and toys on Friday and tractors equipment and parts on Saturday. For more information or to consign items, contact Bill Swope at 419-722-3395 or Don Williams at 419-467-3498; or visit the company’s auction calendar here.
Hopefully one of these auctions will offer up just what you need to help your dream become a reality. Hope to see you there!
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