Collecting Antique Farm Memorabilia

Before you start trying to find a vintage or just about any pre-owned tractor for your farm, there are several points you should keep in mind. First of all, do not get caught up from nostalgia. Purchasing and restoring a classic tractor may be a marvelous pleasing hobby to engage in. Nonetheless it also can turn into a costly one.

A growing number of people are collecting antique manure spreaders brochures and other farm memorabilia. It doesn't matter whether or not these souvenirs and keepsakes are old printed advertisements, metal or paper signs, a mint condition brochure for antique manure spreaders can be a great collectible.

Collecting Antique Farm Memorabilia

While it takes to very deep pockets to buy and sell real antique new idea manure spreaders and antique wood John Deere machinery, not to mention researching all those antique tractor parts, just about anyone can collect farm memorabilia. Many farm families and former equipment dealers and employees often keep souvenirs of the machines they owned or worked with.

It is not uncommon to find a loose flyer or manual hiding away in a trunk or shoved out of sight in a box in the corner of a barn depicting antique manure spreaders, tractors, hay wagons and balers in robust black and white. Most memorabilia is worth little more than just simple nostalgia pieces.

But if occasionally, a collector with a sharp and discerning eye for detail will come across an advertisement or signage for a rare model of John Deere tractor. Or better still something displaying an early model antique New Idea manure spreader.

American farmers turned inventors, Joseph Oppenheim and Henry Synck developed the first commercially available manure spreader in the 1800s. The New Idea Company (under various owners and names) has made manure spreaders and other mechanized farming machines ever since and recently celebrated its 100 year old anniversary in 1999 as a division of the AGCO Corporation.

As you can tell any type of keepsake or toy or advertising that depicts any antique farm tool, machinery or equipment is not only valuable for its own sake but could also be of interest to both collectors of full size tractors or well as farm toy enthusiasts.

Types of Farm Memorabilia

Collectors have various ways to organize their collections:

• By brand or manufacturer

Like John Deere, New Idea or International Harvester. This type of collecting is the most popular for both ease of organization plus displaying a whole set of green John Deere replicas has a certain visual appeal.

• By machinery type

Tractors vs. hay balers. This is the next most popular method; since people normally want to buy toys or items that match the type of equipment they remember the most fondly like tractors.

• By age

Vintage manure spreaders (20-30 years old) vs. antique manure spreaders (75-100+ years old). The age of collection is often set more by budget restrictions than any other factor since true antiques are often out of price range of a beginner collector.

• By individual preference (a collector just likes the way the advertisement or sign looks or it reminds them of personal memory.)

In any of the cases mentioned above, investing in farm memorabilia be it vintage dealer signs or posters of antique manure spreaders, you can see how this simple hobby can turn that old trash in the attic into a treasure or two.

Before beginning to hunt for your tractor, be certain you understand what you really would like. This might appear overly basic, however it is easy to get side tracked and acquire something which you didn't start out to find. Only once you are able to prepare an itemized listing of your requirements should you start your search. Don't forget to include your technical and performance requirements in your listing. If you do not know exactly what you will be searching for, how are you going to decide how and where to look?

If you are sincerely looking for an antique tractor, be careful and not allow enthusiasm get the best of you. If you do, you might well be in trouble before you begin the project. Restoring an antique tractor or other old farm implement is rewarding. However it is not an overnight project moreover it can become expensive quite rapidly. Components for many old tractors are available but some are difficult to locate and can be on the spendy side. Factory original tires might be impossible to buy and replica tires may cost more than your tractor. You might discover that instead of buying a project tractor, it would be just as satisfying to buy one which someone else has already put all of the time, effort and expense into. Odds are good that you could purchase it for a lesser amount of money than the owner put into it, to say nothing of all of his labor.

Test the tractor before you decide to purchase it. Is it easy to get started and appear, sound and feel right? Are the tires in good shape? Is there any hydraulic seepage visible? Can you notice any missing pieces or equipment? Be sure and give equally close an inspection to any attachments. Last but not least, be sure that an antique tractor seriously meets the needs of the job you want it for. It's tough to go wrong with an antique tractor such as a John Deere if you shop carefully.