Large Collections Needed

[vbanham 1]

Hello!

I am from Firecracker Films, London, and am trying to track down large, private tractor collections/collectors for a possible National Geographic documentary about various large collections around the world and feel you and your extensive knowledge and/or contacts may help. Collections/Collectors outside of the U.S and UK would be preferential however any insight or help with this would be much appreciated. Any information you are aware of of collectors in your area or pointing me in the direction of which I may be able to find any or gain information would be fantastic.

If so, I can be contacted at vbanham@hotmail.co.uk

Many thanks for your help and time.

Victoria

[SousaKerry 503]

Send a film crew to the big show in Pennsylvania on June 22nd and you'll meet all the big collectors

[rmaynard 16,321]

Dittos on the above. You will find the largest collection of Wheel Horse tractors and their owners all in one place. Plenty of stories to go along with it. Get there early on June 20th (set up day) and do a time lapse video of how the green grass and gravel of a country fairground turns into a sea of red within hours, then stay through the 22nd.

 

Here is the link to the Wheel Horse Collector Club flyer about the show.

[JackC 617]

"Collections/Collectors outside of the U.S and UK would be preferential however any insight or help with this would be much appreciated."

 

What is up with that?  Who would know where they are from?  The decals are in English as far as I know. How large is "large"?

There may be some "large" collections in Canada. I have seen some great non Wheel Horse collections.  Do they count also?

[Hammerhead 817]

I would be interested in this. I have a huge collection and I am ready to show it off at a moments notice! Hehe! Feel free to contact me. Keith

[Save Old Iron 1,571]

Guys, check out the quality of their website and the quality of documentation and crisp videography this group produces.

 

Make sure ya'all get a haircut and wear a clean shirt at Arendtsville.

 

If Arendtsville does not bear fruit, I have interesting predoctoral studies that reveal startling parallels between the early Jane Goodall works with my personal experiences in the LGT collectors arena. Caste stratification based on entrance performance, ostracism techniques, stylized displays. I can see a Rory Peck award nomination for originality in someone's future.

[KATO 115]

[Jake Kuhn 1,579]

Roy and Betty Stewardson have a really amazing collection. I've never met them, but seen their website. It is http://rbwheelhorsestables.yolasite.com/

[SousaKerry 503]

If Arendtsville does not bear fruit, I have interesting predoctoral studies that reveal startling parallels between the early Jane Goodall works with my personal experiences in the LGT collectors arena. Caste stratification based on entrance performance, ostracism techniques, stylized displays. I can see a Rory Peck award nomination for originality in someone's future.

 

 

SOI I think you got a little too close to the electrons again,  you really gotta quit messing with those 440V lines without your double insulated arc flash proof gloves.

[tractornut86 621]

Roy and Betty have the best collection around.. but are you looking for just large collections or how rare the collection is? Joe Lofink has one of the most rare collections of old tractors around and does it just have to be Wheel Horse? For just Wheel Horse pre 1958 my brother has a impressive collection.

[Jeff-C175 7,206]

Being the cynical old sot that I am, I have to question why what 'appears' to be a very professional production company does not supply it's researchers with @firecrackerfilms.com email addresses.

 

Be suspicious to good measure here fellas... that hotmail address may be a tipoff that she isn't who she says she is.

[MarkPalmer 81]

 

Be suspicious to good measure here fellas... that hotmail address may be a tipoff that she isn't who she says she is.

 

That was my thought the first time I saw this.  When someone makes their first post asking for something strange or out of the ordinary, my BS alarm goes off immidiately.  Maybe it's ligit, and if so I apologize, but when it's someone you have no clue who it is and raise your hand and tell them where your tractor collection is.....

 

-Mark-

[CasualObserver 3,411]

My sentiments exactly Jeff...

 

Why in the world would Nat Geo be doing a tractor collecting documentary?  I wouldn't be listing anyone's names or webpage links.

[vbanham 1]

I can assure you my request is genuine. I am on work experience for the week here at Firecracker Films, hence the lack of @firecracker email address, and am helping out the Development Department with their research for this forthcoming series about large collections around the world. I am most grateful for all of your responses and understand why alarm bells must have gone off! If you are still interested I would be so thankful if you could email me just a contact telephone number of which I can pass to my Development Director to be able to contact you with further details. Any help in this matter is greatly appreciated. 

 

Many Thanks

 

Victoria

[Trouty56 567]

Vincent from Belgium or Lars from Norway come to mind.....

[546cowboy 302]

This whole thing sounds very suspicious if you ask me. it has all the earmarks of a scam and there is no way I would be giving anyone my phone number for this. We need some of our UK members to check these people out since they say they are from the UK.

 

I googled Firecracker films and it seems to be a real company. I have sent them an email to find out if they  are doing a documentary on large collections. Maybe I'll get an answer today.

 

Jake I have met Roy and Betty a couple years ago at the Charlotte, MI show and two nicer people you will not meet. They go all over the country to shows and their collection is really something. Roy is retired and had a body shop for many years ( his son runs it now if I remember right ) and you can tell it by looking at his tractors.

Edited May 31, 2013 by 546cowboy

[dsholler 54]

It very well may be a scam, but it is hard to figure out what that scam could possibly be... how would someone make money off of people who have large collections of garden tractors? Of course it could be like the old time self-publishing things (you pay us to publish your poetry, you pay us to be in our documentary) but I am sure the various members here are smart enough not to get involved in those sorts of things if they did not want to. And given the success of Antiques Roadshow, Pawn Stars and the like, it is not unreasonable to think that an organization like Nat Geo might be thinking about how to do a few things that are more in line with the popular taste.

 

It is also quite possible that the film company uses lots of stringers... folks they hire on for jobs as they come up. It is entirely reasonable that these people would not have corporate email accounts (to avoid having them use them when they are not working for the company). 

 

There are other more bizarre possibilities, for example like an auction house scouting for clients, but that seems rather farfetched given the approach. You would think someone in that business would just ask... no need for subterfuge.

 

In general, I always make a judgement about whether to give a third party the name of someone I know. If I am not sure it is the right thing to do, I always contact the person whose name I thought of giving out, and tell them about it, and let them make contact with the requester.

[neil 2,410]

If Victoria is with Fire cracker Films on Work experience then she will only be with the Company for a week , as she states . People on work experience here in UK tend to be of an age ot around 15 or 16 years old .

 

Firecracker Films have made some really popular series here in uk .

 

I think Victoria needs to give  a bit more information here about what  she wants & what it would entale before people give out Phone numbers or personal information . maybe her Development Director should join RS and give some input himself / Herself  .

 

It could be there loss, as this website has to be the most popular forum of collectors  of any kind of tractor in the world  big or small

[boovuc 1,090]

I think Victoria should be able to give contact information out through a direct phone number or email address at FireCracker. (Domain or preferably their phone number with an extension).

As far as ways one can become a victim, gathering information about a person then fishing them later with offers and deals that directly appeal to their collecting, having someone come out to a person's home, (maybe an elderly person or couples home), and while looking at their collection and dreaming of their 15 minutes of fame, these people are scoping out your home and possessions and last but not least, befriending you and later saying they want you to maybe come to the UK for an event and making arrangements that just might require you giving "someone" credit card info, passport info, etc. These are just a few of the things that happen on the web every single day and the bastards are always dreaming up new ways to bilk people. (And it's easy to forge or copy letterhead in documents and spook an email address).

As for Victoria and Firecracker Films, the offer of collectors documentaries is great but honestly, approaching us via a forum on the web SHOULD be met with the greatest of skepticism and for Victoria.......if you are honestly doing field work for this film company, I wish you the best. 

Now....if anyone is interested in a Ride-away Senior that has never been started and is in showroom condition that I found at a yard sale last night, it could be yours if you would just contact me with your SS# and credit card info!

 Have a safe weekend everyone!