Collector’s Passion for Cast-Iron Seats Runs Deep

Collector’s Passion for Cast-Iron Seats Runs Deep Gerald Zimmerman likes old farm equipment. His collection includes nearly 300 wrenches, 26 walking plows, 11 horse-drawn planters, and a wooden plow from the 1700s. Over the past half-century, Zimmerman has also collected cattle dehorners, brass doorknobs, small promotional fry pans, and a cattle horn that once held a whetting stone for sharpening scythes. The list of items seems endless. However, if he has a favorite, it has to be his cast-iron seat collection. “I have 260 or more,” he says. “Some were very expensive; others less so. I have some duplicates, which I buy to better the collection. If one is cracked, I may get a better one if I find it.” If he has a favorite seat, it’s likely his 1862 Buckeye. It’s one of only five known, and one of those is in bad shape. His is in perfect condition, but its history sets it apart. He first saw it around 1979. Every year, he asked the owner whether he would sell it, and every year the answer was no. In 1997, he was told the man was going to sell his seat collection. “I couldn’t afford it,” recalls Zimmerman. “The next year, I stopped by and asked if he had sold the Buckeye. He said no, but told me what he wanted for it. My wife, Francis, said, ‘If you don’t buy it now, you’ll never own it.’ When I bought it, I cried like a baby; I was so happy.” Another favorite seat is a cast-brass piece with the name Archer. It’s unique and thought to have been sent to the U.S. in the 1860s as a demonstration. Zimmerman received it as a wedding anniversary present. “We were at an auction, and Francis kept bidding on the brass seat,” he says. “Finally, I threatened to hold her hand down. She bid once more and got it!” In a day when many buy from online auctions or markets, Zimmerman insists on seeing the item before buying or bidding. “I’ve only bought sight unseen once,” he says. “I had three cast-iron milking stools, and as far as I know, there were only four ever made.” When he heard the fourth one was going to be auctioned, he sent in a bid because he couldn’t attend. “I had the high bid and paid for it,” recalls Zimmerman. “When I went to pick it up, one leg had been shortened. I’ll never do that again.” At 85, Zimmerman remains in the market for unique relics and looks forward to the Cast Iron Seat Collectors Association’s annual meetings. The association has just under 300 members, including some from Europe and Canada, according to Jeanine Kintigh, the association’s secretary/treasurer. While Zimmerman reports seeing seats sell for as much as $2,000, Kintigh notes that the highest price paid so far is $8,000. “Seats are rated from 1 through 10.5, with 1 being very common and 10.5 possibly the only one known,” says Kintigh. “The rarer seats bring from hundreds of dollars to thousands for the rarest.” Zimmerman admits he has been offered a lot for his Buckeye, but he has no plans to sell it or any of his other relics. “I won’t sell my collections unless I need it to live on,” he says. While the relics are not for sale, they are available to be enjoyed. “If people stop by, I’m glad to show them around,” says Zimmerman. “No appointments needed.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gerald Zimmerman, 82 Church Rd., Hegins, Pa. 17938 (ph 570-391-2055) or Cast Iron Seat Collectors Association, Jeanine Kintigh (ph 407-879-1181; jrkintigh@gmail.com; https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Cast-Iron-Seat-Collectors-Association/100064566434876).

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