John Deere Dealer Sign  

Bleeding Green

My Collection:

  

How it all got started:

(All Ertl unless otherwise noted in parenthesis)

JD 1/64" TRACTORS

JD 1/64" EQUIPMENT

JD 1/32" TRACTORS

JD 1/32" EQUIPMENT

JD 1/16" TRACTORS

TIN SIGNS

MISCELLANEOUS

JD LINKS:

   My John Deere roots were first formed back on the family dairy farm during my childhood. My father ran Deere ever since my grandfather and him traded the horses in the forties. I remember well some of the models that he had over the years: M, MT, 60 (2x), 620, 3010, 4030. At one time or another he had what I believe was a 70, it had a small gasoline motor that was used to start the larger diesel motor. I think this was the only John Deere that truly frustrated my father, there were days that this tractor refused to start, no matter how long you cranked the small gas engine up. If my father had a gun he probably would have shot the thing at one time or another. In any case the tractor was soon traded in for the 4030. I put many an hour on the 60, 620 and 4030, doing a variety of field work as a teenager.

My John Deere collection began in July 2002 while on vacation at my parents. I introduced my German wife to a real New York County Fair. As with most County Fairs, Otsego County had their share of farm dealers displaying wares, John Deere of course among them. I couldn't resist climbing up on one of the utility tractors to try it out for size. My wife thought that was "cute" and snapped a picture of her "little boy on the John Deere". She didn't realize then that I caught the fever. The first sign that things were no longer normal is when we walked by the display of handmade quilts and wallhangs. The green and yellow wallhang leapt out amongst the dozens of other hangings. My wallet was out and before I new it, I was bleeding green. My wife stared, shook her head and we moved on. The next symptom was a picture of a Waterloo Boy, it cried for a place in my office, I couldn't say no. My wife felt my head, yes - fever.

Upon returning home to Germany I was quiet for awhile, then my wife brought home two well-used John Deere toys from a flea market, a 1/16" scale Ertl John Deere with no model number and a 1/32" Siku John Deere, both with non-green wagons. Bless her heart! Then came Toys-R-Us - I bought all the green they had (ok, so they only had two), Amazon - The Big Book of John Deere Tractors, then E-bay. E-bay is awesome - first came the 1/64" 60's series, then a rectangular baler, then a 60, a 620, … yesterday a Ertl 1/32" 590 round baler. Is there an end? No, not if John Deere is faithful and keeps coming out with new models.

My wife has restrained my new insanity to our spare room (that's okay for now honey I still have room for more). She encourages me to stay with just one scale - 1/64 is good, costs less, needs less space. I can only say "well you know honey we don't use the back of the shed for anything … e-bay is selling a REAL John Deere 50 - I sure would like to tinker and get that running…" "Hey honey do you need some sheets, here are some that would match the John Deere pillowcases…"