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The Most Widely Read Collector's Newspaper In The East Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 46, NO. 36 FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2015
Deere Memorabilia Brings Memorable Prices Rich Penn Auctions Sells Dean Stump Collection he 25th and final John Deere Two-Cylinder Club Expo at the National Cattle Congress Grounds in Waterloo, Iowa, wrapped up on July 18. The final day was highlighted by the Rich Penn Auction of the Dean Stump lifetime collection of John Deere memorabilia. The Stump collection widely held the reputation of being the best Deere memorabilia collection in private hands. Collectors from New Jersey to Oregon and from Canada to Texas filled the Electric Park Ballroom for the 556-lot cataloged sale. Stump’s collecting interests were tightly focused on anything John Deere green, yet that covered a lot of categories. The auction reflected Stump’s depth and diversity within Deere collecting. During preview, collectors poured over the advertising literature for Deere and related companies, watch fobs and pinbacks, signs, displays, manuals, even cast-iron implement seats and tools.
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advertising pieces, and it was clear, John Deere green was quickly turning into U.S. currency green. A huge framed paper dealer poster, 70-inches high, for Model “A” and “B” General Purpose tractors, was the top lot. It fired up a crowd full of bidders and sold for $8,500 (prices quoted are hammer prices and do not reflect the sliding scale of 10 to 20 percent buyer’s premium). The 72-inch wide porcelain sign for John Deere Farm Implements
This “Dain Mfg. Co.” hay stacker wrench with an open end, embossed on both sides with large letters, castiron, and in excellent condition, 10 inches long, sold for $4,750.
The John Deere planter box reading “Deere Beet Seeder” on ends, cast -ron and wood, sold for $1,900.
The auction was fast and furi- was a close ous. The Rich Penn crew moved runner-up, selling the lots through at roughly 80 lots for $7,500. It wasn’t just big things that per hour. The top lots were brought big prices. An early hay
The four Deere & Webber Co. catalogs, D, E, F & H, hardcover with detailed pictures, drawings and implements and parts (some color), all in excellent condition, 11-by-8-inches, sold for $3,500.
A John Deere dealer poster for Model “A” or “B” General Purpose tractors, “Around the Farm Around the Seasons with a John Deere” in excellent condition, 70-by-50.5-inches, sold for $8,500.
sold for $4,000. Very small things brought big money too. A John Deere match safe with an inscription reading, “John Deere Plows-the World Standard,” and much easier to carry than the dinner bell, also sold for $4,000. Another pockstacker openet-sized piece selling well end wrench, was the John Deere pocket embossed mirror. This celluloid pockwith Dain et mirror showed an Indian Mfg. Co.in a wagon wheel and herCarrollton, alded the “John Deere Mo., turned Plow Co. Gen. Agts., out a top bid From Forest to Farm.” At of $4,750. only 2.25-inches in diameJoseph Dain ter, it commanded a invented the $3,750 bid. Another pocket inclined hay mirror showing the ten stacker. The comJohn Deere Companies, this pany he founded one 4-inches in diameter, had a close tie to sold for $3,250. John Deere starting in Watch fobs also gathered the mid-1890s. They strong interest. The top fob was allowed John Deere an ornate gold-plated fob with Plow Co. of Kansas City to John Deere D on a celluloid sell their tools. That relationbackground and John Deere ship evolved into Dain sellPlow Works embossed on ing their implements the back. That circa 1915 fob through Deere dealers in sold at $2,250. Another fob Minneapolis and elsewith a brass John Deere plow where. Dain Manufacturing on a mother-of-pearl shield sold Co. merged with John at $1,100. Deere in 1911. Stump was a scholar on John Another top lot that surprised many was a John Deere (Continued on page 2) Fertilizer display. Deere was in the The John Deere pocket fertilizer busimirror, celluloid with ness for a very emblems of the ten John brief period in Deere companies surthe late 1950s rounding the deer and and early reading, “The Sun 1960s, so anyNever Sets on the John Deere Plow,” manufacthing with that tured by Whitehead & brand is rare Hoag of Newark, N.J., and very colcirca 1911, 4 inches in lectible. A 12diameter, in excellent condiinch-wide display tion and rare, sold for $3,250. with six plexiglass containers quickly grew a healthy bid of $4,250. Another lot that rang a bell when it sold was a cast-iron dinner bell with John Deere Plow Company cast in the bell yoke. It
Here is a John Deere baseball uniform with a 1930s logo, manufactured by Powers Athletic Wear of Waterloo, Iowa, with some stains due to play. It sold for $1,100.
A Deere, Mansur & Co. Wholesale Farm Machinery & Vehicles catalog, 1st edition, 1886, 302 pages, showing products and prices, beautifully illustrated, inside cover ink staining and tape, with an embossed leather cover and gold etching, sold for $1,800.
A John Deere match safe reading, “John Deere Plows-the World Standard,” and “Compliments of Deere & Webber Co.Minneapolis,” is celluloid and metal and was manufactured by Whitehead & Hoag of Newark, N.J. It sold for $4,000.
This “John Deere Farm Implements” sign, three-color porcelain with three-legged deer by Veribrite Signs, some inpainted edge nicks and on upper right corner, body of 24-by-72-inch sign in excellent condition, sold for $7,500.
A John Deere advertising brochure cabinet, slanted oak case with “Take One” along the top and “John Deere Line” along both sides, excellent conThis rare John Deere Fertilizer display is plexiglas with six bottles of dition with some wear on top decal, This John Deere sign, “Quality Farm Implements sold by Ahrens fertilizer from the John Deere Chemical Co. in Tulsa, Okla. In excellent sold for $3,000. Brochures shown Implement Co. Story City, Iowa,” in two-color embossed metal, measuring were sold in other lots. condition, it sold for $4,250. 12-by-23.5-inches, sold for $2,500.