By Cindy Ladage

 NOKOMIS, Ill. – April 10th was a rainy, blustery day, but the weather didn’t stop hearty antique tractor collectors from venturing out to Aumann Auctions Pre 30’s Auction Open House. This event profiled some amazing pieces of equipment and engines as well as literature, memorabilia and the stunning Schnakenberg Chromolithograph collection.

Besides the opportunity to view the items at the Aumann business location, collectors also had the opportunity to view Kurt Aumann’s own private collection at his newly restored building he is calling “Nokomis Implement.” The building originally was Hedlund Manufacturing, where they made water skis, snow skis, toboggans and hockey sticks. The building has been renovated from the ground up and Kelly Aumann was on hand to invite collectors in.

It is impressive to say the least, with beautiful Oliver tractors and amazing signage. Kelly Aumann said it is a great event site and meeting place. The building has the look of a dealership with a parts counter, collectibles and more. The late Darrell Darst’s Tracto, an International Harvester robot, is on loan from his wife Kevin.  The Tracto was on display as well as a few tractors brands not often heard of like Bailor, Mayrath and Topeka.

There were only a few collectors viewing at the Tractor Factory at a time and the same was true at the auction site. Due to COVID-19 restrictions in Illinois, the auction was an online event, but the open house provided a chance to see some of the items firsthand.

On April 21, early steam, gas tractor, gas engine, horse drawn, motorcycle and truck literature, memorabilia sold.

Roger Johnson, of Aumann’s, provided details about David Schnakenberg’s Chromolithograph print collection. At the open house he shared, “We have over 100 chromolithographs and posters from different companies. This is probably one of the most extensive collections. The first portion will sell on April 22. There are still 200 more to sell including posters, catalogs, trade cards and many other farmer machinery advertising related items.”

The chromolithographs cover the horse drawn through the steam era. “David Schnakenberg is from Vienna, Va., and is one of the most extensive chromolithograph print collectors known,” Johnson said.

After the sale was completed, the highest bid was on the “Eli” Baling Presses framed lithograph, which came in at $14,850. The second highest bid was on the Harrison Machine works piece, which bid for $11,000.

Tractors, steam engines and gas engines and autos sold on April 24. The open house offered a chance to see these main beauties. Collectors looking for engine parts found a selection from the John Tysse collection.

Alex Fuselier, of Aumann Auctions, mentioned a few headliners that sold.  Emmerson Brantingham Big Four 20 was one of those tractors. “That is one of the best tractor restorations cosmetically and mechanically around. The owner himself is a machinist and built the engine to specifications better than the factory.”

This tractor set a Guinness Book world record, so it is a rather famous tractor, it has been in a field where 99 vintage tractors plowed, then again where the maximum number of pre-1966 tractors were plowing. It is a well-traveled and well-worked tractor with a famous past. This tractor’s high bid was $73,500, according to the Aumann Auctions website.

Another Big Four tractor that was a huge draw at the open house was the Gas Traction Big Four 30. This amazing tractor was built by the Gas Traction Company and was owned (at the time of the open house) by Harriet and Al Severson, who purchased it as a parts tractor. The size of this tractor is astounding with the rear wheels around 8 feet, 3 inches in height. The high bid for this tractor posted on Aumann’s website was $345,500.

The Sawyer Massey 27-50 outsold the Brantingham Big Four 20 with a high bid of $399,000.

A Holt 75 Crawler was for sale. The model has a single wheel one with an older restoration. Two Universal Molines were on display, one with an attached cultivator. The high bid for this crawler was $178,500.

Another pristine piece that Fuselier pointed out was the 1935 Linn Tractor truck. “It is a fully functional dump truck with a half track design, but it also has a hydraulic lift. The operator didn’t have to get out of the truck to dump.”

The Linn trucks were used mostly for logging operations, but also by the government for heavy duty jobs. The Linn trucks high bid was $131,250. In the same newly built building that the Big Four and Linn truck were in was a cool Renault crawler, which had a high bid of $23,415.

There was also an Avery model 5-10. These tractors were marketed for light duty farm jobs; it had a high bid of $47,250. The Bates Steel Mule Crawler also on display was used by the Joliet Oil Tractor Co. The high bid on the Bates Steel Mule was $25,400, according to the Aumann Auction website.

In with the engines were a few cars and one was a 1907 Orient Buckboard Car.  This car was built by the Waltham Manufacturing Company. They produced the Orient Buckboard from 1903 to1907. This cool car’s high bid was $19,005.

Fuselier said the featured engine is the Springfield engine. “It is a rare example on a wooden cart. Its unique design is one of the earliest designs there is nothing like it, it is very recognizable.”

At the open house, one interesting aspect was Old Iron, a financial group affiliated with Aumann’s and other auction groups that helps finance tractors for those that need assistance. They advertise “1/3 down and take your tractor home.”

For more information about this auction, log onto www.aumanvintagepower.com, or call 217-563-2523.