Vintage Thingies Thursday: Red Tractor

My father's Depression-era tin airplane was such a hit last week, I thought I'd share you another one of his childhood toys. This red tractor was very well-loved; it still has dirt embedded in the tires!

The large rear tires are labeled AP Grade Balloon, 1800x24. At some point in the tractor's history someone painted the inside of the front tires blue, but it has chipped off. One of the tires falls off, but since we just display it, we haven't bothered to fix it. Sometimes repairing vintage items lowers their value. It's pretty heavy, probably made of cast iron. I think the best thing about the tractor is the farmer driving it, who is part of the mold.

When I see these old toys that my dad actually played with, I picture him in the backyard at his Aunt Gertie's house in Windsor Locks, CT. I never knew the house where he grew up, but I was often at Gertie's as a young child, so that's where I picture him. She lived alone in the family's Victorian farmhouse until she was in her 80s. Her house looked almost exactly like this one. In the back there was a lot of grass and an old carriage house. I can just picture him sitting in the grass and playing trucks, the only boy, while his sister and girl cousins did something girly. Many of my antique and vintage items came from this house, including my huge collection of pink Depression glass.
For more memories and nifty items, visit Suzanne @ ColoradoLady, our Vintage Thingies Thursday hostess. Suzanne is known for her family of dachshunds and has a whole bunch she is sharing this week!