Farm Toy Business Thrives

Farm Toy Business Thrives AG WORLD Ag World 22-3-21 You might say Allan and Betty Holland got into the miniature farm toy business completely by accident. In the mid 1980's, the Rocanville, Sask., farm couple's seed and retail farm products business was wiped out by a fire. After working day and night to rebuild, the Hollands decided to take a break by going to a North Dakota farm toy auction and the rest is history. They've since established a thriving toy business and Betty even publishes "Canadian Toy Menia", a monthly magazine that brings the latest in toy and collectible news to more than 2,000 subscribers in North America, the Netherlands, England, and New Zealand. The magazine started as a newsletter distributed to 10 collector friends and grew from there. In response to interest in the newsletter, the Hollands organized Saskatchewan's first Farm Toy and Collector Show in Regina, then added a second show the next year. Today, both are annual events, offering over 100 display and sales tables, and attracting up to 3,000 people per show. "Along the way, Allan got into restoring broken toys and needed replacement parts," Betty says. "On one trip to the U.S., he purchased $200 worth of tires, rims, mufflers and so on. On the way home, we stopped at a show in Manitoba where he mentioned he had all these parts in the motel room. Within an hour he'd sold them all." This demand prompted the Hollands to start a farm toy parts depot. They recently sold this end of the business, but continue to stock a full line of miniature farm toys. Their store is located in a Quonset hut on the Holland's farm and is open to customers by what Betty calls "appointment or chance - if you drop in without an appointment you take the chance we won't be home." The Hollands specialize in Deere toys, with a special emphasis on Allan's favorite 1/3-scale 4-WD models, and carry a full line of toys of all descriptions from 1/16th scale to 1/64th scale models. They also have a mail order service with parcels mailed out daily. Their business became so successful, the Hollands host an annual three-day jamboree the first weekend in August where collectors meet. As many as 500 people attend the toy and antique shows, which is capped off by a Saturday afternoon toy auction. "Collectors come from all over the country," says Betty. "We have a licensed auctioneer doing the selling and bidding gets very active. We turn over as much as $8,000 worth of business. Our highest selling items so far were an 1850 Cockshutt and a Versatile combine, which each sold for $490, and an industrial Deere 440 made in the 1950's which went for $710." The Hollands say collecting farm toys not only preserves the history of the land, but is a good investment as well. "Farm toys are not a quick investment, but they can be a sound investment if you keep abreast of the market and move in the right circles," Betty says, "You should be able to sell a collectible for a profit equivalent to savings bond interest." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Allan and Betty Holland, Box 489, Rocanville, Sask., Canada S0A 3L0 (ph 306 645-4566).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.