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Good ways to start your own collection? Attend engine shows, scan farm sale bills, contact other collectors who might be interested in parting with their duplicates, or advertise in a magazine geared toward antiques or farm collectibles. Hand-held corn shellers, when found for sale, can range from $75 to $1,000, depending on the style, condition and rarity.
Once you have an artifact, what do you look for? First-time collectors will notice that some shellers have no writing on them, while others have only patent dates, and still others have both names and dates. most collectors consider those with names and patent dates 'choice'. Certain shellers are of one-piece construction, and others are mechanical. The most sought-after in those cases are the mechanical shellers with the names and dates. Popcorn shellers are very desirable, too, especially the folding, clam-shell type. The oldest shellers are cast iron, but in the early years of the 20th century, many businesses had aluminum shellers produced in the 'cone' styles, and passed them out to their customers as advertising giveaways.
Reproductions are not as big a problem in collecting this type of corn sheller as they are in hand-cranked models, but the buyer should still beware.
As a farmer and collector of agricultural antiques, Olan Bentley says it's important to preserve farm-related artifacts.
"If our generation doesn't do it, the next generation will not know it," he said, "and our agricultural heritage will be lost to future generations."
For more information: R. Olan Bentley, 1168 Jamison Rd., N.W., Washington C.H., OH 43160-8749; (740) 335-0964.
Susan Wildemuth is a writer who lives on an Illinois grain farm with her husband, son and Spud the dog.