Toy Hobby Became A Full-Time Business

Toy Hobby Became A Full-Time Business AG WORLD Ag World 19-5-21 Kurt Aumann can't remenber a time when he wasn't hooked on toy farm tractors. While he's certainly not alone in his interest, few people have been able to turn the hobby into a money-making enterprise the way he did. Aumann first gained fame as a 12-yearold when he became one of the youngest professional auctioneers ever to work a farm sale. He started out working with his father Nelson Aumann, an auctioneer and realtor in Nokomis, Ill. At the age of 18, Aumann made news again when he started his own antique tractor magazine, THE BELT PULLEY, an "all-brand" antique tractor magazine that goes to collectors and anyone else interested in old tractors. Aumann, who is now 25, now serves thou-sands of subscribers all over the U.S. and Canada with his magazine. All along Aumann has had a strong interest in toy tractors and, as an auctioneer, he has finally been able to combine his interest in toy collecting with his business of auctioneering. Collectors from all over the country with toy collections to sell contact him. And when he has a sale coming up, he has a national mailing list of collectors which he notifies. FARM SHOW recently attended an Aumann auction where he sold off the collection of Bill and Geneva Tichenor, Charleston, Ill. It was a large collection that was started over 30 years ago. In fact, it was such an outstanding collection, Aumann advertised it nationally in toy tractor magazines. People came from 16 states and Canada. Aumann estimates there are probably at least 90,000 farm toy collectors in the U.S., based on the fact that TOY FARMER, the largest farm toy collecting magazine, has more than 30,000 paid subscribers. "It's gotten to the point where many farm toys actually bring in more than their full-size counterparts," Aumann notes. "For example, at an auction last year a Farman pedal tractor with an open grille sold for $2,000. At the same sale, a cast iron Caterpillar, made by the Arcade company in the 1930's, brought $1,375. At another sale, a pedal tractor umbrella alone brought in $800. And recently, a New Idea one-row corn picker, which originally sold for $3 new, sold for $475. Aumann says he's even sold toy boxes with no toys in them for as much as $700. Toy collecting, he notes, has really come into its own the past 10 years. "There have always been farm toy collectors but early collectors didn't want to admit it. They were `closet collectors'." For more information about Aumann Auctions, or subscription information for THE BELT PULLEY, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kurt Aumann, Aumann Auctions, 107 E. State, Nokomis, Ill. 62075.

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