By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — If you’re wondering if farm toys still hold much value in today’s economy, just ask Ken and Hazel Fredericks of Wilson, New York. At last month’s Expo-Ohio Farm Toy and NASCAR Collectibles Show in Columbus, the couple sold a pedal tractor for $1,000 and the three-day show had just begun.

“We’ve been collecting farm toys since 1981 and the appeal is still there,” said Ken, owner of Kenzel Toys. “I would say, though, that the number of people collecting the toys are down. For us in particular, the buyers of our toys were mainly dairy farmers. Dairy farmers can relate to these toys, because their fathers and grandfathers had these toys.”

The Kenzels concentrate on collecting miniatures, or 1/64-scale toys. Farm toys come in 32 scales, from 1/10 to 1/87.
“More men than women are into these collectibles, and it’s the older people, not the young ones, doing the collecting,” Ken said. “Young kids can’t afford to buy these nowadays. Toys that once cost $3 are now selling for $14.”

For each toy in the $20 price range the Kenzels have 10 valued at more than $50.

Bob Bergefurd of Fremont, Ohio has collected farm toys all his life. He has more than 300 in his collection. Recently he finished second in the National Farm Toy Show held in Dyersville, Iowa in December. He prefers displaying his toys as opposed to selling them.

“As a young boy I had some of these toys,” says Bergefurd, now 70. “I went from having Tonka trucks to Lionel trains to BB guns to farm toys. Most of the farm toys I have are more than 50 years old. Most toys today won’t last 50 years. Some people collect for the value of the toys. I do it for nothing more than a hobby. The reward I get from this hobby is meeting all the nice people at the shows.”

Bergefurd’s friend, Bill Duncan of Zanesville, has been at this hobby for 30 years. He has 250 pieces in his collection.

“You never get tired of collecting these things,” said Duncan, who took first place in that same National Farm Toy Show.

Any type of farm equipment that was found on the farm was likely made into a toy. And most of those toys were on exhibit at this year’s Expo-Ohio Farm Toy show. There were cultivators, grain carts, grain drills, discs, tractors, combines, tanks, barns, silos and barnyard animals of all kinds.

“If it ever appeared on a farm one can be certain a toy was made of that item,” said Tom Brubaker, a toy farm collector and dealer from Plain City, Ohio. “Most people just got into it as small children. These same people might have been lucky enough to have some of those same toys in their attic or garage. After knocking the dust or rust off of ‘em people start adding to what they had. Oftentimes they’ll purchase one because they remember having one just like it. Like any other hobby, this sort of thing can be addictive.”