EXTREMELY RARE CHAPMAN, DONNELLY & CO. CAST IRON IMPLEMENT SEAT – LIMA, OHIO

From the personal collection of Dave Steiner, founder of Steiner Tractor Parts. Acquired by Dave at auction in 1977 and retained in his collection for nearly 50 years.

Offered here is an exceptionally rare original cast-iron farm implement seat prominently marked:

CHAPMAN DONNELLY & CO.
LIMA, OHIO

This is not an ordinary antique implement seat. Very few examples from Chapman, Donnelly & Co. appear to have survived, and this particular seat has an exceptional collecting history.

DAVE STEINER PROVENANCE

Dave Steiner acquired this seat at an auction in 1977. The seat was mounted on a tractor being offered at the auction. Dave was interested in the seat enough that he became the winning bidder on the entire tractor specifically to obtain this seat.

After purchasing the tractor, Dave removed the seat and added it to his personal collection, where it has remained for nearly five decades.

Importantly, the 1977 auction notation remains on the underside of the seat and is shown in the photographs, providing a tangible connection to its long collecting history.

RESEARCHED WITH LONGTIME CAST-IRON SEAT COLLECTOR GERALD ZIMMERMAN

Dave has continued researching this unusual seat and consulted Gerald Zimmerman, a longtime collector of antique cast-iron farm implement seats.

Zimmerman's experience in this specialized collecting field is well documented. He was featured by Farm Collector magazine in 2022 in “Farm Relic Collection Tells Stories of the Past.” The article documents that Zimmerman began collecting cast-iron implement seats in 1972 and, after approximately 50 years of collecting, had assembled roughly 270 seats, including exceptionally rare examples. 

Dave supplied Zimmerman with photographs of this Chapman, Donnelly & Co. seat while researching its history and rarity. According to Dave, photographs were subsequently requested in connection with cast-iron implement-seat reference material because of the unusual nature of the seat.

ABOUT CAST-IRON IMPLEMENT SEAT COLLECTING

Although commonly called "tractor seats," most early cast-iron seats actually came from horse-drawn agricultural implements such as planters, reapers, binders, mowers and other farm machinery. Cast-iron implement seats were primarily produced during the second half of the 1800s, before pressed-steel seats became common. 

The hobby has a documented rarity-rating system. Farm Collector reports that collectors have identified well over 1,000 different seat designs, with the rarest examples receiving the highest ratings. The well-known Cast Iron Implement Seats reference books by John D. Friedly Jr. are considered an important reference for identifying and evaluating rarity among serious collectors.

CONDITION

This seat is in excellent original antique condition for its age. No cracks or breaks observed.

It retains its aged cast-iron surface and natural patina. The raised CHAPMAN DONNELLY & CO. – LIMA, OHIOmarkings remain exceptionally clear and easy to read.

We have intentionally left the seat in its original aged condition rather than restoring it.

DETAILS

• Original Chapman, Donnelly & Co. cast-iron implement seat
• Marked Lima, Ohio
• No cracks or breaks observed
• Original aged surface and patina
• From the personal collection of Dave Steiner
• Acquired by Dave at auction in 1977
• Dave purchased the entire tractor specifically to obtain this seat
• 1977 auction notation remains on the underside
• Retained in Dave Steiner's collection for nearly 50 years
• Researched with longtime cast-iron seat collector Gerald Zimmerman

This is an opportunity for an advanced collector of antique agricultural equipment, cast-iron implement seats or early American farm machinery to acquire an exceptionally unusual example with outstanding long-term provenance.