The Green Girl weekly web column by Brenda Kruse

Aug. 27, 2001

Formerly on FieldReporter.com

Be a part of something special
Join the John Deere Collectors Center

Last week’s column about the big Grand Opening of the John Deere Collectors Center and Moline Tractor & Plow Co. sure made that place sound like a lot of fun.

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tradition kidscart1.jpg (12545 bytes)

These two little tykes (middle and rear of cart) each have their very own membership in the John Deere Collectors Center, which means this Ohio family has three separate memberships. Obviously, Dad wanted them both to grow up as green as grass! In fact, all three (Dad, daughter and son) have personally autographed copies of my book!

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But don’t let that one weekend be the end of your exposure to this special group! After all, the building isn’t the only neat part of this organization. Become an official member today and enjoy the benefits all year-round!

That’s right, the John Deere Collectors Center is an association that offers varying levels of memberships for different types of collectors. With three separate levels, there’s one that best fits just how much you bleed green!

Legacy members

The LEGACY level of membership is all it takes to join this Great Green Group!

At just $50 a year, you receive a decent list of benefits, including your choice of a special commemorative medallion or a year’s subscription to the John Deere TRADITION magazine. Personally, I’d opt for TRADITION (see sidebar). It’s a marvelous monthly magazine that offers plenty of education and entertainment. Sure, the medallion is a nice piece to add to your collection but it does demand dusting, which is something The Green Girl hates to do!

Poppin' Johnny members

To get both the medallion and the magazine, you should opt for the POPPIN’ JOHNNY level of membership at $100 annually. Now you aren’t forced to choose! This second level also includes everything else the base level does.

One of the other very important perks of belonging to this organization includes research requests courtesy of the official corporate archives of Deere & Company. Curious collectors now have access to the vast records of Deere’s 164 years of history. Most collectors choose to use this to find out production data on their two-cylinder tractor. traditions june.jpg (8491 bytes)

However, memorabilia collectors have also found it helpful to determine a specific model of an early implement advertised or to connect a particular part number with a piece of equipment (a buggy wrench, for example). The LEGACY level earns you one request a year, while POPPIN’ JOHNNY members get five chances to challenge research coordinator Lynn Timmerman.

And to keep yourself decked in Deere gear, both these membership levels earn you a 10 percent discount on all purchases at the John Deere Store and retail shop of Moline Tractor & Plow Co. Never leave the house again without wearing a green cap, t-shirt or belt buckle!

What’s more, membership entitles you to free admission at the John Deere Historic Site in Grand Detour, Illinois. If you’re a diehard Deere fan and you haven’t been to where it all began with the infamous blacksmith shop, you need to plan your next vacation now! Bring the kids or grandkids, invite your city slicker friends, and show them where Deere & Company started back in 1837. For his first decade in business, John Deere worked from this site before he moved to Moline. You can see a real blacksmith in action, enjoy educational exhibits and tour John Deere’s original home on this beautiful site. Just a couple hours outside the Quad Cities, it’s an easy side trip next time you’re making the mecca to Moline!

Heritage Club

If you’re really addicted to anything and everything green, you may want to consider the Heritage Club membership level. traditions sept.jpg (8277 bytes)

Although the dues may seem steep, it’s an important investment for the serious collector. A long list of additional benefits are included, such as a copy of Genuine Value: The John Deere Journey. This awesome coffee-table book is rich with photos and history of how the company began and where it’s been in the past 164 years. This prized possession also comes with a commemorative bookplate.

Other special rewards for this elite level involve red-carpet treatment in the Green Room on the second floor of Moline Tractor & Plow Co. Gorgeously dÈcored in a wood-and-leather theme much like a luxurious library or den, the Green Room can be your private place to visit with other top collectors, rest and relax, while the research staff gives your request priority attention. Ask as many questions as you wish…all answers are included at this membership level!

To take your dedication to Deere to the very top of the line, upgrade your Heritage Club membership to a Lifetime membership. For a one-time gift of $5,000, you can avoid annual dues and enjoy many years of membership as a VIP of the John Deere Collectors Center. Special recognition is an important part of membership with this level.

Of course, The Green Girl belongs to the new John Deere Collectors Center! While I haven’t sold enough John Deere Collectibles books to warrant a Heritage membership, I am a proud Poppin’ Johnny member. And I also gave the gift of membership to my father-in-law last Christmas. It definitely makes a great gift for green guys and gals!

Operated by the John Deere Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Deere & Company, the Collectors Center joins the Pavilion and Grand Detour Historic Site as other Foundation facilities. Created in 1948, this organization supports youth activities, education, farmland preservation, rural development and other issues that impact farmers, contractors, homeowners and the community.

Give Emily Scranton of member relations a ring at 1-800-240-5265 and have her set you up with the membership level you’d like. While you’re chatting with her, why not sign up a friend or family member for a gift membership and get your Christmas shopping out of the way early!

Next week, The Green Girl will explore the other Foundation facilities — the Pavilion and the Grand Detour Historic Site, plus the John Deere Store.

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A tribute to tradition

One of the most tangible — and consistent —Ýbenefits of membership in the John Deere Collectors Center association is the monthly magazine called John Deere TRADITION. Published by the same great people who bring you other rural-America favorites like Capper’s, Grit, and Farm Collector, TRADITION will take you back with every issue.

Every month, Editor Leslie McDaniel and her crew put out a content-rich issue of 50-some pages.

traditions may.jpg (8076 bytes)May 2001 served as the inaugural issue. Stories highlighted the budding Collectors Center, John Deere Days of the past, a century-old family-owned Missouri dealership, and how the Waterloo Boy fared in the Nebraska Tests. One really neat part of this first issue is the raving review of my book, JOHN DEERE COLLECTIBLES, by Lynn Grooms! Other articles include a historical review of early corn planters, a piece on students in a robotics competition, and an interview with a Delaware gentleman who restores the little Model L tractors.

The second issue (for the month of June) interviews a well-known author named Don Macmillan from England, covers the John Deere Battalion of wartime mechanics, and talks about the 4WD fascination of some Wisconsin collectors. A neat piece on John Deere bicycles built in the 1890s, plus a story on 98-year-old retiree John Shipley also made this issue. And last, but not least, a few pages cover the John Deere Historic Site at Grand Detour and review a book called Ultimate John Deere.

traditions july.jpg (9302 bytes)July’s issue includes an article written by The Green Girl on "The Velie Influence," which essentially summarizes what I’ve covered in past columns. One story looks at the passage of John Deere trademarks, while another tells about non-green John Deere construction/industrial tractors. An interview with Mr. Trumm (aka Mr. Toy) gives readers a glimpse into what may be the world’s largest walk-in toybox. This issue’s "product" piece is on the Waterloo Boy Model R, and one article covers the John Deere Pavilion, one of the top five tourist attractions in the state of Illinois.

tradition august.jpg (8556 bytes)August features the official opening of Moline Tractor & Plow Co., as well as delves into the "Anatomy of an Auction." You can read about how a giant new combine maneuvered its way into an indoor museum in Chicago, and how tractor tires have changed over the years. The book review covers Genuine Value and the "Relics" section shows you a French plow. For anyone who "bleeds green," the interview with Mark and Blake Newell, father-and-son team of lawn and garden restorers is a real treat.

Hot off the press, September’s issue just came in the mail a few days ago. A product review of the Van Brunt line of grain drills and an article about Deere’s 164-year domination of the industry are main topics in this edition. Stories on John Deere’s Forestry Machines, a child’s goat wagon, and licensed merchandise round out the issue. Also included is an interview with a Florida man who started a John Deere Lawn Tractor Parade in his subdivision.

As you can see, content in every issue is diverse…but definitely diehard Deere! There’s something for everyone in the pages of TRADITION. Don’t miss another incredible issue! Become a member of the John Deere Collectors Center today. And watch for more articles written by The Green Girl!

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Text and photosÝ © 2001 Brenda Kruse.
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