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| 26th Annual Lafayette Farm Toy Show & Sale at the Ramada Inn |
Twenty-Three years ago Roy Lee Baker and his wife Baker started the show and it has grown in fame ever since. Roy and his family host the show and work very hard taking care of every one at the show. Audrey told me the show is known as the "friendly show". That is very true. The Bakers set up an information area in the middle of the hotel and a hospitality area with cookies and soft drinks. There are maps of the show available at no charge so you can find your favorite toy dealers.
Admission is only $3.00 and you are given a collectors button that will give you access for all three days of the big toy show. The 2004 show was held from Friday February 6-Sunday the 8th. On Friday dealers set up there toys in the hotel rooms and open for business. Friday night the toy displayers start setting up their displays in the big Holidome area. Saturday is the big day with crowds of people who come to buy toys and see all the farm displays. There is also a large auction held on Saturday selling 1/16 farm toys and pedal tractors. On Sunday the toy show expands with additional toy dealers setting up in the Holidome.
Many well known people in the hobby attend the St. Louis Toy Show. The Toy Farmer Magazine, Spec-Cast, Die-Cast Promotions, Moore's Farm Toys, Standi Toys, Rhuel Toys, VanKley Farm Toys, Red Wagon Antiques, Matsen Miniatures, David and Brian Sharp are just a few of the well know farm toy business on hand during the weekend.
Red Wagon Antiques Farm Toys On Display: http://www.redwagonantiques.com
 The Baker Family Host The Show |
 The Show |
 Spec-Cast Display |
 Dealers Set Up In Hotel Rooms |
 TTT Author Doug Harke Inspects Auction Items |
 Sunday Show Tables |
 Scratch Built CaseIH 9350 |
The St. Louis Toy Show has something for every collector. You will find one of a kind scratch built pieces like the 1/16 scale CaseIH 9350 Steiger and 1/16 John Deere 7720 pictured in this article. There are plenty of harder to find 1/16 pieces to be found. I was searching for two harder Toy Tractor Times Tractors and found both. Both the TTT 1939 Ford 9n and the 15th Anniversary Stephen made John Deere 1010 are the two hardest TTT models to find. I have looked at shows and even at the National for over a year and had no luck in finding the tractors. At St. Louis I found both tractors with the help of some nice show goers. Another example of why St. Louis is the friendly show because you will not find nicer collectors any where. Every one is laid back and you will make several new friends through the weekend.
If you are a 1/64 collector you will find just about every piece you could want. Standi Toys will greet you as you enter. If you can make it past Standi with out buying all of their neat products you will find rooms full of rare and custom 1/64 pieces.
This months TTT will take you through some of the big events of St. Louis. You will find pictures of the displays and custom toys that were at the show. If you can find the time to go to the show in 2004 you will not be disappointed. I am already looking forward to attending the next big show in 2005.
 David Sinn's Cockshutt Corn Picker on Black Hawk Tractor |
Scratch Built 1/16 Scale John Deere 7720
C&D Models1/64 Detailed John Deere 95 Combine |
 John Esche's Wheatland Farmall 1206 |
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 J&S Farm Toys ATV's for $5.00 Each |
TTT
March 2004 Page 3