By BARB VAN LOO
Auction Exchange Correspondent WALDRON, Mich. — Held on location on a farm on Territorial Road just outside Waldron, a recent auction by the Whalen Realty and Auction Co. was a treasure trove for collectors of old farm wagons. There were in excess of 38 of these fine examples featured along with desirable tractors and other antiques.
Probably one of the most desired items in this auction was the celluloid hay stacker match safe labeled “The Farmer’s Friend Hay Stacker” match safe. There were several interested bidders both live, by absentee and telephone. The winning bidder was the gentleman who had been the first to arrive at the auction that day, having driven to the site from southern Indiana. His winning bid was $1,200.
The wagons had been collected by Harold Baum over a period of several years. He had kept them in one of his barns (some of them had been stacked three high,) and were in good condition. Many wagon collectors were in attendance to take advantage of the opportunity to acquire one of the fine examples of early wagons, many of them with their original stenciling and paint. At the end of the auction it was evident that one collector had taken advantage of this opportunity to add to his collection – he left pulling a trailer with at least four wagons on it.
One gentleman had traveled to the auction from Alabama to add to his collection. He said he collects them as a way of preserving the past and its history and that the wagons he acquired will be placed on display inside and out of the elements in order to keep them as original as possible. Most of the wagons had manufacturers’ names that were readily recognized by those in attendance and included, among others, John Deere, Turnbull, Winona and Studebaker.
A John Deere wagon with excellent stenciling took center stage in opening bids, selling for $3,200. There were other Deere wagons, one of them a John Deere Triumph which sold for $850. Other Deere wagons sold for $1,000 and $1,300.
A Winona wagon with Oliver Plow Works stenciling sold for $1,150; a wagon stenciled C.F. Raby, Londonville, Ohio, Birdseed, South Bend sold for $900; and a wagon with Cordez & Dehnfeldt, Ridgeville Corners, Ohio, stenciled on it saw a final bid of $1,850.
One Turnbull wagon sold for $1,250 while another with stenciling Sold by C. Wannemacher & Sons, Ottoville, Ohio, sold for $2,600. Marked Sold by F. Hinder & Sons, Elmira, Ohio, a Tiffin wagon sold for $1,250, with a second Tiffin wagon selling for $1,000.
An old Studebaker wagon with 18-inch boards sold for $950; a Studebaker wagon with butcher wheels and which had breaks earned $7,000; and a Studebaker box wagon on a Hoosier running gear saw $1,400. A box wagon with a John Deere running gear sold for $1,500 and a wagon that was unusual in the fact that the sides folded down on each side earned a final bid of $1,000.
A wagon built by AE Champion, Florida, Ohio, and dated 1914 crossed the block for $1,050; a flat hay wagon earned $300; an Elgin wagon sold for $1,000; and a miniature flatbed wagon crossed the block for $400.
An old doctor’s buggy crossed the block for $650.
It was evident that Baum had favored John Deere tractors; a 1962 4010 WF diesel tractor sold for $6,900; a 620 NF tractor with older restoration earned $4,800; a 60 NF tractor with low hours saw $3,500. A 301 industrial tractor with a loader crossed the block for $4,500; and a 1948 M with a drawbar and a Woods mower sold for $3,200. A Deere plow to fit the M tractor sold for $55 and a pair of front wheel weights, also which fit the JD M, earned $200.
There were also several wagon seats from which to choose, several of which still had very good stenciling on them. A 42-inch John Deere wagon seat sold for $400 as did an International Harvester seat. Among the other wagon seats, a Turnbull sold for $275 and another for $250, a Weber for $150 and a Studebaker for $300.
Bidders were also excited about wagon wheels. Examples included: four Turnbull wheel and two axles that sold for $750; a set of four wagon wheels that earned $825; and a set of four John Deere wagon wheels that crossed the block for $550. Other sets of wheels, either two or four in a set, sold for $140-$235.
For the kids, a Studebaker Jr. child’s wagon sold for $500, a Badger child’s wagon earned $875 and an older unmarked child’s wagon that had been restored saw $350. Many years ago it was necessary to carry babies to the field when crops were being harvested. From that era there was a Kentucky plantation crop buggy, high enough so that the child could ride above the crop, which sold for $800.
Other examples of early farm equipment and implements to fit the various tractors included an early planter made in Hamilton, Ohio, for $400; a John Deere running gear for $450; a back blade for $550; and a Deere five-bottom plow crossed the block for $300.
A Deere Roll-O-Matic front end sold for $215; JD weights saw $195; and several running gears, some JD, sold for $750-$1,150. A rare plow from the Bryan Plow Co., Bryan, Ohio, crossed the block for $200.
Wagons, tractors and farm items generated much interest but there were also many smaller items from around the same era as these that were desired by some of the attendees.
There were numerous butter churns, most of them a Dazey model of some sort. A six-sided home wood butter churn sold for $150; and a two-quart Dazey churn sold for $145, with other four-quart and six-quart Dazey churns selling for $65-$115 each.
A Standard five-gallon butter churn sold for $165; and two unmarked, but unusual, churns crossed the block, one being a floor-model butter churn which sold for $265, and the other a low one which operated on a horizontal plane that earned $145.
Planters Peanuts items are well received and there were several from which to choose. One Planters Peanut jar, complete with its lid, sold for $145; a pair of peanut containers sold for $75, with several other containers of various types selling for $30-$65 each.
Early advertising yardsticks included one pair which contained Massey Harris and Allis-Chalmers, that earned $50, and another pair which had Case and Ferguson sticks, and this pair sold for $30.
A pair of old grain cabinets sold for $155 each. An old bobsled stenciled Harrison Wagon sold for $375, and an old wood barrel used by the pioneers when they headed west in their covered wagons crossed the block for $175.
Other old items included: old copper kettles that sold for $70, to $110 for one with a handle. An old kitchen cupboard earned $110; an old lift-top trunk with dovetailing saw, $130; and an old oak cabinet with drawer storage earned $390.
An old grain rake saw $80; an old bolt cabinet earned $125; and an old butcher block sold for $200.
Jason Whalen and his uncle, John Whalen, were the primary auctioneers for this auction. With the assistance of an efficient staff, the auction was a smooth-running operation. For additional information about services provided by Whalen Realty and Auction, contact them at 419-337-7653 or check out their website at www.whalenrealtyauction.com |
