FOX Business Network recently launched a new reality show called Strange Inheritance, where host Jamie Colby travels the country finding people who have inherited something unusual. Airing at 9 p.m. Eastern on March 30 on the FOX Business Network, Strange Inheritance will air an episode on a family that inherited 140 vintage tractors. The tractors ended up being worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Host Jamie Colby spoke recently about the inheritance:
Did this inheritance come as a surprise to the family?
Dave Hawkins, LeMars, Iowa, had been collecting tractors for decades, so the inheritance itself was not a surprise. As we show in this episode, he loved having his kids and his grandson by his side when he worked on these antique tractors for hours at a time.
What are some of the brands of tractors? What era do the tractors cover?
Most of the tractors comprising the inheritance were John Deere. Ironically, his grandson now works for the company! But there were also Case and Oliver tractors. The tractors go back to the 1920s and ‘30s and cover the ‘40s and ‘50s as well.
Had the tractors been restored?
Some had been restored, but not all.
Did family members keep any of the tractors?
The family kept an assortment of 23 tractors from the collection, including a beloved 1929 John Deere.
What was the “high dollar” tractor in the auction?
A 1958 John Deere 730 diesel sold for $20,000. A 1951 Oliver row crop sold for $8,000. We were told that the entire auction netted $400,000 for Dave’s heirs.
Did any of the tractors go to overseas buyers?
As far as we know, they remained within the U.S. and Canada.
What’s the background on the collection?
Dave Hawkins started collecting in the 1980s, mostly Deeres from all eras.He acquired them from auctions and other sales. He really seemed to have loved his collection and collecting. Dave became interested in tractors as a boy, inspired by his grandfather’s collection. Every few years on the Fourth of July, he would display his entire collection at the farm. He donated a restored Minneapolis Moline to the Plymouth County Museum. He died in 2011.
Photo: Strange Inheritance host Jamie Colby on a tractor.
