2005 NORTHLAND ANTIQUE TOY SHOW

By Dale Johnson

2005 Northland Antique Toy Show Sunday, May 1, 2005
In the Progress Center at the State Fair Grounds.
I arrived early Sunday morning and it was very cold for May 1st at 38° outside and the building was not heated. Apparently it was built for summer when the weather is much warmer. Inside the building the temperature was about 50°, still kind of chilly to be standing around for hours. At 9:00am when the show began it even started snowing outside. I had only my spring jacket and spent most the morning shivering.
The reason I get so excited about this show is I am a toy train collector; a toy boat collector and I have an interest in old advertising as well as just plain toys. So this is a fun show for me to attend on different levels. However the main interest for me at this show is the toy boats.

The last couple of years Paul Mikkelson and Bill Arick and a few of the other main stays of the Old Toy Boat Show at the Hopkins House have been renting tables at the Northland Antique Toy Show. These guys often have old boat kits or ITO boats and K&O motors from the 40s, 50s and 60s. This year Bill Arick did not attend, so I was unable to obtain some needed parts for one of the outboard motors in my collection. For me the pickings were slim but I picked up a few old IMP inboard motors at decent price from Dick Borgerding.

One thing I spotted brought back a few memories. It was a Roy Rogers toy lantern just like one I had back in the day.
I also noticed a large selection of figures or dolls that would be perfect for RC boat people. There is a fellow there that sells parts to old toy cars and trucks he had an enormous selection of tires you could use for bumpers on tug boats.

There were hundreds of collectors from across the country showing, selling and trading Boats, Trains, Dolls. Tin, Mechanical and Cast Iron Toys & Advertising from around the world.

—Dale