The 2012 Illini Farm Toy Show took place right after the New Year, Jan. 6-8 at the Holiday Inn & Convention Center in Urbana, Ill. The show highlighted a sale with auctioneer Jon Witvoet auctioning the items brought in on consignment.

According to his website, Jon is a graduate of Reppert School of Auctioneering in 1986 and has been in the business ever since. His business offers auctioneering services that include preplanning, through financial settlement of estates. Auctions include antiques, farm, personal, real estate, business liquidations, specialty marbles and farm toys.

One of the highlights of the Illini show auction was a handcrafted Massey Ferguson 510 Diesel combine. The combine was hand-built by Rona Aman of Conrad, Iowa, in the 1970s. Besides the Massey Ferguson, the auction also featured a JD 8310T custom toy equipped with Kinze power.

Along with farm toys, there were a few brochures. Visitors enjoyed the advertising promises of the old literature, such as one with the phrase, “Plants like Human Hands.” The brochure went on to promise: “How the Hayes Four Wheel Planter Overcomes the 7 causes of Bare Spots.”

The 40-plus show vendors were divided between the banquet room and the trading rooms, where they set up in hotel rooms with their toys, trucks, literature and memorabilia.

One exhibitor in the banquet room was not selling, but only showing his rare collection. Chris Karr, a farmer from Seymour, Ill., which is west of Champaign, is well known as the public address announcer for the I & I Tractor and Antique Club events at Penfield, and for the Half Century of Progress.

Chris’ exhibit contained a combination of Arcade toys, Hubley and Ruehl and even a few Wyndot and Sructo trucks and the Marx and Lapar metal toys. He favors Massey, but his collection goes beyond farm toys and includes Stieff bears, valentines and other items.

This year he featured one new item: A rare 1957 picture from a Childcraft Encyclopedia of Chicago. When someone purchased the encyclopedias, they also used to receive one of these pictures. Not many of the pictures are left, and those that have survived are not often in the same shape as this one.

Chris took the time to have the picture framed and displayed it for the enjoyment of the visitors. “A neighbor gave me this picture. It shows it shows what farming was like at that time,” was how he described it.

Besides the auction, exhibits and vendors, there was a kiddie tractor pull at noon that Saturday. Competitors earned points toward eligibility to participate in the state pull. This was the seventh year for the event, organized by Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leaders from Vermilion, Douglas and Champaign counties.

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.