- Related Articles
- BETWEEN THE BOOKENDS
- On the Cutting Edge
- Battlefield Bounty
Collecting Farm Toy Literature
Collectors always want as much information as they can possibly find about the items that are dear to their hearts, which is why they seek old catalogs, fliers, advertisements and brochures relating to their particular interest. More than 200 packets of farm literature from the McComas Albaugh collection were sold to enthusiastic bidders during the toy auction.
A.K. Kissell of Newark, Delaware, is a retired vocational agricultural teacher who collects information on tractors and engines.
"I put books together for my own interest," he said as he waited for the literature auction to start. "I am particularly interested in Porsche-Diesel, Bungartz and Deutz. I've been involved with tractors all my life and I go to a couple of dozen shows a year."
"We had a Minneapolis Moline G-100 Vista pamphlet that went for $130," he said. "That's a top price. The most popular literature is John Deere, Cockshutt, Minneapolis Moline and Oliver. Catalogs from the 60s can bring as much as $60 to $100. Company magazines sell and calendars that are pre-1960s bring good prices."
Average prices for lots at the Albaugh literature auction were in the $50 range, with 208 lots listed. A 1970 Oliver Better Farming publication sold for $95, while a Cockshutt-White Better Farming publication also dated 1970 brought in $70. A 1906 Johnson Harvesting Company full-line catalog sold for $75, and a selection of Oliver 550 row-crop and industrial brochures fetched $80.