Farm Toy Collector: Bobby WIlson

"Bobby Wilson's extensive farm toy collection"
The Fence Post (July 19, 2010)

"Farm boys generally learn to drive tractors at a young age. But learning to drive as young as preschool is exceptional. On the other hand, tractors were much simpler when Bobby Wilson started driving at an early age. 'I was placed on a tractor at the age of 5. I would drive between the square bales while the adults threw them on the wagon. Someone would stop the tractor for me because I couldn't reach the clutch or brake pedals,' Bobby recalled.

"Bobby and Donna Wilson along with their son, Samuel, reside in the southwestern community of Morgantown, Ky. Founded in 1810, this bustling little hamlet is contained in Kentucky's cave region. It may have been named Funkhouser Hill after Christopher Funkhouser, who donated land for the city. However, further records suggest that Funkhouser may have eventually named Morgantown to honor a hunter named Morgan or Daniel Morgan Smith, the first child born in the city...."

"...'Simply stated, I cattle farm during the day. I also work the second shift as an Inspector at NHK of America, a firm in Bowling Green, Ky., that makes coil springs for cars and trucks. And now, my passion for farming has spilled over into collecting the toy tractor and implement versions. I guess I'll always be a farmer of some sort,' Bobby noted.

"Bobby explained that his first toy tractor was a 1:16 scale die-cast International model 806; 'I believe I was 4 when I got that 806 International. I played with it so hard that I quickly destroyed it. Since then, I've kept and taken care of my toys.'..."

Bobby Wilson is a practical farmer as well as a collector: He's got an 80-head herd of Angus.

The article is a pleasant biographical look at Bobby Wilson's life, work, and hobby: collecting farm toys. It's got four photos with him, his family, and models.

I don't collect, but there's a collector's fair at the school, a few blocks away: and I've enjoyed seeing what the folks who do have brought together.

He's got advice for collectors starting out, including: "...'I encourage the beginning collector to buy your favorite newest toys first. If you wait, a dealer's edition or collector's edition can become rare very fast. If you have a favorite brand of tractor, concentrate on that brand as you're getting started. Trying to take on too much at the start is not good,'..."

It's a pleasant read, if a bit on the long side.

I particularly appreciated the last section: "Blessings Beyond Collecting." But then, I like 'family' things.