Think back to 1945 and imagine Fred Ertl thinking up a brand new toy company in his basement flat in his Iowa home.
Fred wanted to create farm toys that were so detailed that kids would easily be able to imagine working the fields like the farmers that they looked up to.
With an idea in his head, the Ertl company was created with the promise to provide exceptional detailed and durable replicas of farm machinery.
As part of his promise to create detailed replicas of farming machinery he got in to contact with the major farming production companies.
He obtained the exact plans for the machines he was creating toy models of.
The Ertl company is now worldwide and provides all sorts of farm toys from the John Deere ride on tractors to 1:87 scale models of other branded tractors and farming machinery.
Ertl farm toys make great gifts for kids who love tractors and their range cater for all budgets and occasions.
If you know a farmer is about to retire? Then what a better present than a scale model of his tractor? Ertl toys are quickly becoming a craze among collectors and it would make sense to get hold of some before they become even rarer.
If you are choosing to collect Ertl models then I would recommend you keep hold of the box that they came in as they have a higher resale value with the box.
I know of some ertl collectors who actually buy 2 toys, one to play with and one to sell in the future.
Choosing an Ertl farm toy is a great gift any time of the year and its worth checking out a number of different shops before you make your final purchase.
If you are looking to buy Ertl replicas second hand, it might be worth checking with auction websites or even checking your local charity shop.