Written By Bethany McLane
Some people collect baseball cards, others cherish old movie posters. For Barry Boston, the owner of Westminster’s Boston Inn, nothing beats the yellow and green of a John Deere emblem.
Since he became interested in John Deere as a child, Boston’s collection has grown from a few items to 14 tractors and hundreds of pieces of memorabilia.
In fact, his John Deere collection has burgeoned so much that he built a lofty 98 by 40 foot barn in the Carroll County countryside for its safe housing.
Boston, at 51, a tall man with dark hair, a salt-and-pepper beard and a down-to-earth manner, finds many of his rare John Deere items at flea markets, auctions, tractor shows and especially eBay.
“When you’re a collector, you can’t beat it,” he said, pointing out that eBay is a great tool for any collector, if you know how to search correctly. eBay has lead him to some great finds, some of which he now houses in the entrance of his barn, which is set up to have the feel of an old John Deere dealership,
Boston’s “mini museum” displays not only John Deere items, but also antique farm equipment, including an old hay trolley, which was used to pull loose hay into a barn with the help of horses.
He also uses a display cabinet to show off his smaller John Deere items, including pens, printers’ blocks with tractor images from the 1930s and antique tape measurers that were given away as promotional items in the 50’s. Women visiting John Deere dealerships were given cloth tape measurers, which today can sell for $75.
Some of his other prizes include a collection of John Deere caps, some of which are from the 1950s, and a shirt his father owned which turned out to be a rare collectible.
The shirt was given to his father in 1958 to promote a John Deere advertising campaign encouraging one-man hay farming practices. The motto on the shirt: “One Man Hay Day.” The shirts are now impossible to find, but Boston’s mother kept his in storage, and now-in perfect condition-the shirt is one the rarest items in Boston’s collection.
Other interesting items include children’s books, stuffed animals, toys (some which may sell for up to $5,000), lighters, records, and employee pins.
From the little collectibles, Boston’s collection moves to items of larger proportions – much larger proportions. The barn houses four of Boston’s 14 tractors, including a 720 Diesel John Deere from 1958, which he still uses for farming, and his favorite tractor, a 730 Propane model from 1959, that uses fuel similar to that employed in a backyard grill.
The larger room also houses a current project, a 1944 one-and-a-half ton Ford farm truck. Boston, with the help of his father and his son, restored the truck from engine to hubcap. Painted in the classic John Deere colors, the truck is destined to take tractors to local parades and tractor shows.
Boston’s love for John Deere began early.
“As far back as I can remember, we were always around John Deere stuff,” Boston explained. His father, Wally Boston, worked for 20 years with the John Deere company, and 20 more years in a John Deere dealership.
Boston’s wife Amy, his son, Travis, 23, and daughter, Erin, 21, encourage his passion for collecting John Deere items. Amy decorated the bathroom in Boston’s workshop in true John Deere style, complete with green and yellow tractor wallpaper, John Deere shower curtain, and even tiny tractor shower curtain rings.
Wally Boston is proud of his son’s collection. His family had John Deere tractors growing up, and, in addition to co-owning a few tractors with his son, he still owns one that his father bought new in 1945.
“I think it’s great,” he said, “really great. We’re trying to keep on collecting. We’re still looking out for collectible items.”
There probably will not ever be a time when Barry Boston stops searching for John Deere paraphernalia; the more unique, the better. Rather than paying for restored items, he loves bringing things back to their original glory himself.
“You can tell people you did it, that you really care,” he said.
John Deere’s motto, “Nothing Runs Like a Deere,” is emblazoned on items all over America, from salt shakers to huge tractors. Boston’s collection of these treasures is proof that for one family, “Nothing Appreciates Like a Deere.”
