ERTL

ERTL Co. is an American toy company best known for its diecast metal alloy collectible replicas of farm vehicles and equipment. In 1945, Fred Ertl Sr. started making toy tractors in the furnace of his home. He was a molder at a Dubuque firm that was temporarily closed. With a wife and familiy to support, he started taking defective aluminum aircraft pistons and melting them down. He poured this aluminum into sand molds, and started making toy model tractors. In 1959, Ertl built a larger facility in Dyersville, Iowa and moved all production to that facility. The Ertl Company was acquired by Victor Comptometer Corporation in 1967 which was subsequently purchase by Kidde, Inc. in 1977.

In the 1990s, Ertl also began production in Mexico, inevitably laying off the employees of the original Ertl factory which would become a warehouse/distribution facility and an outlet store.

In the early 1990s Ertl started the American Muscle line up of diecast collectible cars and trucks. These were 1:18 scale replicas that quickly found a dedicated following of baby boomers. Limited editions of 2,500 were especially sought after. Many of the earliest releases have fetched upwards of $500. The most popular and desirable is the 1957 Chevy Bel Air known as Peggy Sue.

In the last 20 years, Ertl -now RC2- has produced over 58 million die-cast tractor and the popularity is undoubtedly due to their detailed, small-scale representations of tractors and other vehicles.

"ERTL... just like the real thing, only smaller!"

Lines

ERTL catalogs

Links

Updated: 12 October 2020

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Ertl value and price guide

What's your Ertl worth? Here are some recently sold items.

Picture Title Date Price
rare new 1 18 69 charger general lee black dirty Rare New 1 18 69 Charger General Lee Black Dirty... 06/2021 £939.75
mega rare 1960 s ertl allis chalmers gleaner Mega Rare 1960 S Ertl Allis Chalmers Gleaner... 05/2021 £903.60
john deere 1 16 die cast s780 combine prestige John Deere 1 16 Die Cast S780 Combine Prestige... 06/2021 £577.58
6x ertl farm country lot sale dairy gable barn 6x Ertl Farm Country Lot Sale Dairy Gable Barn... 05/2021 £646.98
vhtf 88 of 1000 1969 dodge charger black chase Vhtf 88 Of 1000 1969 Dodge Charger Black Chase... 06/2021 £722.88
no pictureSee all sold items on eBay for more prices08/2021£-.--

Ertl forum

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Comments (21)
Tesha - July 22, 2021
I have a 1970 buick gsx brand new in box ertl #7603
You might find a few here with prices: ERTL 7603.
Allistar - June 28, 2021
I have a vh brocky pull back #3226 never played with still in box what would it be worth
Have a look here to see if you can find yours: Ertl 3226
Cathy - April 14, 2021
Hi - I recently found a Ertl Semi Truck with Trailer at an estate sale. I believe the scale is 1:64 but not sure - the entire rig is about 19.5-20" long.
The number on the bottom of the truck: #3605 and trailer: #1085.
Would these numbers identify the approximate year it was made?
Also if you can confirm the scale based on this info, that would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your help!!
Robert - February 27, 2021
I have about 40 die cast coin banks, mostly by Ertl, that I would like to sell. Some are Texaco vehicles & 8 are wings of Texaco airplanes. Is there a collectors club newsletter or periodical that I could place an ad in to sell them? If not, what would be the best way to go about selling the entire collection?
Probably eBay or Facebook.
Rich - February 13, 2021
What is a early John Deere 110 garden tractor and 80 cart worth in mint condition?
Cathy - February 3, 2021
I have an 1976 ford gran torino starky and hutch gold chrome American Muscle ERTL as sold above. Someone told me that these Barris cars were sequencially numbered, as of 2 of 100 made. Is this true? If so, where would the number be? It does say they are serialized, is this the same as numbered? Thank you
No idea, sorry... If someone knows the answer I'll forward you their reply.
Susan - January 14, 2021
We had a devastating garage fire this past may...and my hubby lost his entire hobby shop and tools...including collectable Ertl cars...is there a value guide for those we could use for our insurance claim?
So sorry to hear about this... I have no idea where to obtain such a guide unfortunately.
Diane - December 26, 2020
I have several ertl die cast metal trucks. how do i get the value of these
Rick - December 11, 2020
I have 10 Ace Hardware ERTL delivery trucks (assorted models & years), 9 of them still in the original boxes. Where can i find a value for them?
Duane - November 17, 2020
ertl john deere allis chalmers
I have a john deere on a massey Ferguson card is it of any value
Maybe you can find some prices here: ERTL Allis Chalmers.
Joyce - October 14, 2020
ertl mark martin 60 winn dixie
Can you tell me if this car is worth anything. Never taken out of bac but box not in new shape.
Around 15-25 USD.
Steven - October 12, 2020
ertl cincinnati reds beetle
Hello, I have a Cincinnati Reds Volkswagen with display stand. The bottom says ERTL Collectibles, Hamilton Authenticated /MLB:2004/MLBP:2004, 2474 GA00. Can you please tell me how much it is worth? Thanks
Sorry, I can't find anything on your beetle... Maybe another visitor can shed some light on this.
Daniel - September 24, 2020
I have a International 460 GROVE DIESEL in the box.
Would know the value. Thanks
Hi, have a look here, maybe you can find yours and some prices: ERTL 460.
Darryl - June 8, 2020
I have an Ertl 1.6 scale John deere 850j bulldozer which is now working on a 2.4ghz heng long system how much would it be worth.
Have a look here for some prices: ERTL 850j.
Don - April 20, 2020
Looking for info for Gulf Oil old time trucks
You could try here to see if you can find some info via the listings: ERTL Gulf.
Andy - August 27, 2019
I have bought an amount of ertl collectibles and would like to find out the value of them. Police themed cars, planes, trucks and etc. Any suggestions?
It takes some time, but you could use this website to search for specific models to find value. For example: ERTL police cars, ERTL trucks, etc. You can also search for model numbers if you have them.
Maria - May 5, 2019
I have a New York Yankees Ertl diecast 1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88, 641 of 750. I cannot find it anywhere and would like to know a bit about it.Thanks for any info you can provide.
Hi, also try this link, maybe you can find yours: ERTL Rocket 88
James - March 2, 2019
I have a blue first edition 1989 tractor scale model is all it says have never seen another one like it wondering more about it.
Maybe you could try and search the listings on this page to identify yours: ERTL blue tractor.
Jason - August 31, 2013
hi I was want to know if you help find this kit please I would like to buy AMT/ERTL AUTOCAR DUMP TRUCK MODEL 6671
Search for ERTL dump trucks.
Linda - March 26, 2011
I am looking for a IH McCormick 55 W haybaler. Please let me know where I can find one
Tony - January 18, 2011
I am searching for instructions for a 57 chevy stepside truck plastic model. Is it possible to get instructions?
Difficult but if you search for: ertl instructions one may pop up.