Old Spark Plugs Attract Interest From Collectors

Old Spark Plugs Attract Interest From Collectors AG WORLD Ag World 18-5-20 If you're fascinated by old and unusual spark plugs, you're not alone. More than 250 spark plug collectors from 7 countries belong to the Spark Plug Collectors of America. Members of the group have collected more than 4,500 different plugs and new discoveries are made all the time. The club was founded in 1975 by a Michigan collector. Members can advertise free in the organization's newsletters and three meetings are held every year, usually in conjunction with various antique tractor and engine shows around the country. Jeff Bartheld is editor of the association's newsletter and also an avid collector with more than 900 types of spark plugs in his collection. In every issue of the newsletter, he includes old advertisements for plugs that make unbelievable claims for increases in fuel mileage, or tout unusual features - like a see-through sparkplug that lets you look into the cylinder to see what color the fuel is as it bums. That ad states, "If the flame is not blue, then the mixture is wrong and the carburetor should be adjusted". For a free copy of the club's newsletter, "The Ignitor", and more information about spark plug collecting (or if you have some unusual old plugs you'd like to sell), con-tact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jeff Bartheld, Spark Plug Collectors of America, 14018 N.E. 85th St., Elk River, Minn. 55330 (ph 612 441-7059).

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