Essex rare John Deere tractor toys to go under the hammer

More than 500 models will be offered at auction from the collection of Peter Green, a 77-year-old retired building surveyor from Saffron Walden, who has spent the past 12 years building up his collection.

Mr Green said he had been "interested in tractors from a very young age" and initially started out collecting tractor leaflets and pamphlets.

The collection will be offered for auction at the Cheffins Cambridge vintage sale (Image: Cheffins/PA Wire)

"Over time that collection grew, and I then decided to sell it all, but by then I had the collecting bug, so I started collecting John Deere toys instead," he explained.

The collection once totalled around 900 items at its peak.

Mr Green has decided to sell some of it to make room in his home for more 1:32 scale models.

He began collecting the John Deere toys after contacting a dealer in Indiana, USA, who helped him source some of the rarest models, including specialist gold models.

The collector added: "As time went on, the collection grew and I fitted glass-fronted cabinets into my house to keep them in.

"I also bought from dealers based in the UK and also off of eBay and other websites."

Retired building surveyor Peter Green, from Essex, amassed the models over the last 12 years (Image: Cheffins/PA Wire)

Most of the 1:16 scale models were made by farm toy manufacturer ERTL, including custom-built pieces such as a John Deere 425 Hay Cuber, a Number 22 Cotton Picker, and a wire-tying mobile baler.

The highest value items from the collection are estimated at £300 to £500 apiece.

Ted Shepherd, associate at Cheffins auctioneers, said: "This has to be one of the most expansive John Deere toy collections we have seen in the UK.

"Collections of this quality and scale rarely come to the market, and we expect there to be considerable interest from collectors both in the UK and internationally."

Every toy in the sale will be offered without reserve.

The auction will take place during the Cheffins Cambridge vintage sale on October 16 and 17.