Dave Klassen goes for the Gold

Note: This feature is in the June TF 2021 issue by Luann Dart.

Click image to view this issue.

When it comes to collecting farm toys, Dave Klassen has a golden touch. His collection includes many of the gold versions released, glinting alongside the red, green orange and white of the other models.
"I love putting collections together, so when you have every one in the collection, then you think you might as well try to find the gold versions of the specific toys in those collections, because I think they look kind of cool settn in the cabinet and it's neat to have those hard-to-find pieces mixed in with those collections," Dave says.
Dave is well-known in the farm toy hobby as a collector of gold tractors, but he puts one myth to rest. No, his collection isn't complete.
"There are lots I don't have. A lot of collectors talk like I must have all of them, but I don't. The more you collect, the more you realize how many you don't have," he says.
​
FARMING IN HIS BLOOD
Dave grew up on a farm in central Manitoba, Canada, and wanted to pursue farming as a career there, but circumstances wouldn't allow it.
"My folks couldn't help me get started on a farm. They had tough times in the early '80s. They just could not get me started on the farm. When I was in my late teens, that's all I wanted to do. I wanted to get involved in farming," he says.
​Instead, he started working for a trucking company, but when bad luck struck again, he decided to take his future into his own hands.

Want to read the rest of the story?  
It's available in the JUNE ​TF 2021 magazine!
Call (701) 883-5206 or (701) 883-5206 to purchase or subscribe!
Or download here: JUNE TF 2021