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Vintage Cars Tractors and Collectables

Couple Shares Interest in Preserving The Past

photo by Mike Cameron The past comes alive with this gleaming reminder of years gone by.

photo by Mike Cameron Larry with his “Woodie” hey the surf’s up and the boards are ready.

photo by Mike Cameron Larry with a beautiful vintage John Deere tractor.

photo by Mike Cameron Part of Larry Johnson’s remarkable collections.

Tuesday August 26, 2008

By Mike Cameron

    Larry and Louise Johnson of Charlotte have enjoyed collecting ever since they can remember.

    In some small barns on their property we recently looked over some of the most well preserved and maintained John Deer tractors that can be found anywhere in the area.  Five of these beauties are for sale, more about that later.  Larry Johnson explained each machine, started some and parked them outside.  Even a non-mechanic can appreciate the purr of a smooth running, well cared for machine.  The tractors were spotless and a timeless tribute to their manufacturer and the operators who used them and cared for them over the years.

    Before Larry moved two of the tractors out of the barn he had to move an equally well groomed 1948 Model A Ford V8 2-door, out of the way to make room.  The gleaming jet black vehicle was just as smooth running as the tractors.  What I didn't realize was that my education into the world of collecting, memorabilia and restoration was just beginning.  It was like the previews before a 1950's Saturday Movie Matinee.

    “We have some more back here in this barn too,” Larry explained as we took a short walk past his and his wife's beautiful vegetable garden.  “I'll start it up so we can take a look at it outside,” Larry instructed as he slipped behind the wheel of a 1938 Ford Model A “Woodie”, the vehicle that the Beach Boys turned into a national cult icon during the 1960's with their smash hit “Surf City.”  Now these cars are as rare as hen's teeth.  Larry Johnson has restored Ford Model A “Woodies” time and time again and at 79 years of age he is just as enthusiastic about the Woodie now as he was fifty years ago.  “Collectors are always looking for Model A's in good condition,” Larry explained.

    Larry is a former AACA (Antique Auto Club of America) National Senior Master Judge.  “I don't do that anymore because I have to get underneath them and my hips aren't as good as they used to be,” he says with a little chuckle.  But he knows the cars cold and has been a member of the National Woodie Club for many years.  His former business B&L Model A was very successful and well thought of throughout the country.  The business is no longer in operation but Larry still has plenty of Model A product inventory including parts and other hard to find items available for sale.

    “We also had some antique fire engines not too long ago,” he explains casually.  The folks in his neighborhood remember the fire trucks as the “Same Day Fire Department” of Charlotte, Vermont.  A business card from those days gives one some indication of the fun he and everyone else had with that collection.  “Phone Unlisted”, “We Guarantee To Save Your Cellar Hole,” and my personal favorite, “Don't Call Us We'll Call You.” The fire trucks have since all been sold.

    Why collect?  “Bored I guess” is Larry's response, but he adds “I have been able to buy and collect things that have increased in value,” therein lies the key trick of the trade and it can only come with experience.

    “I started collecting match books when I was a kid,” he mentioned over his shoulder as we climbed up a wooden ladder to a barn loft filled with literally hundreds of toys and collectables all in excellent condition and arranged in row upon row of tidy well thought out displays.  Cars, trucks, trains and planes…hand made buildings, a giant collections of baseball style caps from all the places he and his wife have visited and more…much much more.  A casual view does not do the displays justice. There is so much to see.

   Many of the collectables are in complete sets.  The collections are overwhelming to a non-collector. “Some of these cars I had as a child and I took good care of them and here they are today,” Larry explained.

   Inside his home Larry explained further that his wife Louise, also a collector, has an extensive collection of Campbell Kid memorabilia.  The apple cheeked little kids peer out from an array of items including a child's lunch box from days gone by.

    Back outside in the driveway we look up at an old Sunoco gas pump and are reminded of the reality of the day.  But a trip into the past is always a refreshing change of pace especially with a guide like Larry Johnson whose wit and wisdom are just as timeless as the things he collects.

    For those of you who are interested buyers and would like to look over Larry's tractors and other collectable items for sale he can be reached at 1-802-425-2092 

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