Saskatoon collectors show off generations of farm toys and treasures

WATCH: Saskatoon saw generations of farm toy treasures as collectors showed off their wares on the weekend.

The 36th annual Saskatoon Farm Toy & Collectible Show wrapped up on Sunday from the Western Development Museum.

Collectors, vendors and admirers of all ages braved the cold to see miniature versions of familiar farm equipment in high detail.

For some, it was the first time as an exhibitor after more than a decade of coming to the show.

“I’ve been collecting, I’d say since I was three,” said Ethan Oldhaver, a collector and builder of farm equipment.

While he got his start with his dad’s well-used 1/16th models, Oldhaver grew to enjoy the equipment that’s on his own farm in southwest Saskatchewan, or before the 2010 era.

“I find that stuff a lot cooler before 2010, because that’s mostly what our farms consist of,” he said. “I like working on it better, I like using it better because they’re so much simpler.”

Oldhaver also builds custom machines, like the John Deere 9501, Minneapolis M670 and White 8700 he entered into the competition.

“I won best custom built for my White 8700,” Oldhaver said, adding that it would probably go up on his display shelf at home, if he can find room.

For others like Gerald Wells from Lloydminster, it was the first time at the Saskatoon show.

Wells built a working 1/10th scale, gas powered tractor from the ground up.

“It’s a natural working model,” said Wells. “It’s a four-cylinder, four-cycle V8 engine, gas engine. And there’s a three-speed transmission, standard transmission with a two-speed power shift. So there’s a high and low range on the go where you can switch, and working hydraulics and a power takeoff. And it’s remote controlled.”

Wells spent six years as a machinist by trade, but he says it wasn’t the right outlet.

“I didn’t care for it as a career, but I loved it as a hobby,” said Wells. “So I went back to the farm and kept doing it as a hobby in the wintertime when I had time.”

Growing up on a farm watching his self-taught mechanic dad, farm equipment was a natural choice for Wells to build.

“I started it in 1972 when I was 18 years old,’ said Wells. “And I finished it in 2009. It took me 22,000 hours to build.

From the intricate details to the nostalgia of seeing equipment from your farm, generations of hobbyists continue to come back 36 years later, fuelling the next generation of collectors.

“I love showing it to the kids,” Wells told CTV News. “That’s where I started with my enthusiasm, seeing stuff like that. It gives you incentive, makes you feel good to pass it on.”

For Oldhaver, it was also a chance to pick up some missing pieces from his National Farm Show collection.

“I was missing nine, and I was able to get five of them here,” he said. “So I was very happy to get them.”

And he had to pick up something for the person who started his passion for collecting.

“Also some Black Knight Case demonstrators, because that’s one thing my dad always regrets.” Said Oldhaver. “He had a Black Knight 1070, and he sold it. It’s nice to have an actual one to scale for him.”