The National Farm Toy Museum

Since this past weekend was my first trip to Dyersville, it was also my first visit to the National Farm Toy museum. Admission to the museum last weekend was free, and I had just left the national farm toy show auction, so it was a nice break from the consistent hustle of the toy show.

The museum starts out with a nice video presentation about the history of the farm toy hobby, and the evolution of the toy tractor. You exit the theater into one of the many glass cased rooms and begin your tour with one of the famous tractors produced in Fred Ertl’s basement. The museum actually occupies 2 floors and is exactly what you would expect; Glass cases full of tractors. Every brand is represented and they are divided into groups based on manufacturer, brand, and purpose. One of the most interesting exhibits in the museum showed how the harvest has changed over the past 100 years. It’s really interesting to see how the harvest has turned from a slow, manual procedure to a very efficient and automated operation.

Overall touring the museum is a thrill for any collector because it gives background and insight into a hobby that has a very rich heritage. My favorite part of the museum is the giant John Deere tractor that is made up of smaller tractors in many different scales.

Please read my next post for information on how you can help support an expansion project for the National Farm toy museum.

http://www.nationalfarmtoymuseum.com/