An important
"part" of the story They say the best things in life come in small packages.
That would be the case with many John Deere collectibles too! In fact, the bags and boxes, cans and cartons that once held very valuable and important parts are often worth more now as a collectible than the original part purchased. Still, "Genuine John Deere Parts" were what kept the green machines going! But no one really cared about the bag or box the parts came in. Today, however, collectors are finding great value in some of these crushed cardboard cartons and gooey oil cans. Oil cans and paint cans are some of the more sought-after parts containers on the market today. One set of oil cans is called JD60H and came in four colors — blue, red, yellow and green. Some have only "John Deere" on it, while others also have a dealer name. While many parts boxes were boring plain-jane cardboard containers, others were surprisingly colorful and creative with the trademark green and yellow scheme. Of course, the latter ones are worth more to collectors as they look nicer on a display shelf. For the most part, John Deere put its name on almost everything it made. But some of the more unusual parts boxes come from related companies that supplied parts for Deere equipment like Wico, Delco-Remy, Fairbanks-Morse, and such.
Some of these parts containers are smudged with greasy fingerprints, stained with oil (or another substance), or sun-faded on one side. A few collectors prefer the pristine and perfect boxes while others believe that worst-looking ones have more character! Collectors can usually date the parts container by its logo trademark usage. And any official John Deere part has a number that can be traced to its equipment origin and intended purpose. While some collectors could care less about anything made after 1960, one must remember that if kept long enough, these newer parts boxes may also be of value in the future. This may even be more so in our "disposable" society of today! Aside from whatever held the parts, the catalogs and lists of parts are also collectible today. Granted, these aren’t much for entertainment or exciting reading but they do provide a lot of information and serve as an excellent historical reference. Even the parts themselves can be quite collectible! For example, New Old Stock (NOS) parts are ones that are John Deere originals but have not been used at all and are often still in the box. Depending on the part’s purpose, these gauges, magnetos, and more may be worth a pretty penny on today’s memorabilia market. And let’s not forget the other associated parts, including parts order notepads, parts tags, parts displays, parts bins, and everything else that’s "part" of Deere’s history! Next week, The Green Girl has no idea what she’s going to write about so check back Monday for the big surprise story!
Text Ý © 2001 Brenda Kruse. Photos by Brenda Kruse unless otherwise noted. |
