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Cast Iron Farm Toys Grow In Value
If you’ve got any cast iron farm toys tucked away in the garage or attic, it might be worth digging them out, because cast iron farm toys made in the early 1900’s can bring big prices at auctions. That much is clear from a story in a recent issue of Kovels, a publication that calls itself the “go-to source” for antiques and collectibles (www.kovels.com).
       An auction conducted last fall included a large selection of farm toys from the 1920’s and 1930’s. Two of the biggest cast iron farm toy makers were Arcade Mfg. Co. and Vindex. An Arcade Caterpillar tractor with a removable nickel-plated driver sold for $671, while a Ford 9N tractor with a non removable cast driver sold for $275. A Case tractor by Vindex with a removable driver sold for $610.
    According to Kovels, toy tractors can usually be dated by the material used to make them. Cast iron was typically used during the early 1900’s, lithographed tin from the end of the 1930’s until World War II, and after that plastic and aluminum. When they were first made, cast iron toys were not only for kids but also for farmers and other adults.
    But according to Kovel, what really caught the attention of all the bidders were the farm accessories made by Vindex, which had an agreement with John Deere to make toy replicas of their machinery. A Vindex John Deere hayloader sold for $5,124, and a John Deere Van Brunt seed drill for $3,172.
    Other Vindex accessories at the auction included a John Deere farm wagon that sold for $793, a 3-bottom John Deere plow that sold for $915, and a horse-drawn John Deere manure spreader that sold for $1,830. A Wallis tractor made by Freidag with a painted non removable driver, brought $1,037.
    All the toys mentioned above had the original paint. Repainting cast iron toys will lower their value, says Kovels.
    Pook & Pook sells an Antique Toy auction catalog that can be purchased on their website.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Pook & Pook, Inc., with Noel Barrett, 463 East Lancaster Ave., Downingtown, Penn. 19335 (ph 610 269-4040; www.PookandPook.com


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2018 - Volume #42, Issue #2