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Elmer Duellman:

Turning a Passion Collection into a Museum
Interview by Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher

n September 14-17, 2022, one-owner, low mileage vehicles—but grew to collect really anything
the lifelong collection of with wheels. He bought things he liked, and he liked a lot of things,
OElmer Duellman and his as long as they had wheels: mini-bikes, motorcycles, auto-related
Elmer’s Auto and Toy Museum will items … and was relentless in his pursuit. He would travel at the
be going up for auction through drop of a hat.
Mecum Auctions. The auction, which There is a story around a 1921 Cleveland motorcycle that
will take place on-site at the Museum’s illustrates his passion for the chase: My brother saw a motorcycle
Fountain City, Wisconsin property, come up for sale online and within two minutes of it being listed he
will include full-size classic and called mom—because she knew how to use the computer—to wake
collector cars (more than 100 cars in up dad so he could look at it. At 11 p.m. he called the seller and told
all), 700 pedal cars, hundreds of the gentleman he would be there first thing in the morning. He then
bicycles, motorcycles, scooters, mini- got dressed and made the three-hour drive to Racine, Wisconsin. He
bikes, a large selection of road art and was going to buy it before anybody else even heard about it. He drove
memorabilia, and so much more! In through the night and was there in the guy’s driveway when he woke
fact, five buildings are stocked to the up in the morning. He loved the chase, and like many collectors, he
rafters with everything and anything also loved the competitiveness of auctions.
with or having to do with wheels. Elmer and Bernadette Duellman
Does this collection or Elmer’s name
sound vaguely familiar to you? It should if you are a fan of American
Pickers. Elmer was Mike Wolfe’s go-to call when he uncovered a pedal-
car, and his museum was featured on several shows over the years. What
drives someone to amass such a collection? To find out, we spoke to
Elmer’s son, Les Duellman:

Tell me about Elmer Duellman, the man:

My father came from humble beginnings, but he was a hard worker.
And, he was a student of whatever he did. He read extensively and did
his research. He was very dedicated to his family and passions and his
wife – my parents were married 56 years when he passed three years
ago. He was also a man that did not require a lot of sleep—he worked
long days—and had a tremendous memory. When you came to the
salvage yard, he was the computer. He knew what he had, where it
could be found, its color … his mind was a vast database.
A likeness of Elmer in a pedal car carved out of a single block of wood
made by a local artist for his 50th birthday from his family.
Tell me about Elmer Duellman, the collector:
My dad probably bought his first collector car in his mid-20s. He What do you think he saw as the highlight of his collection?
enjoyed cars, scooters, and bicycles … he worked on them as a child.
By 18, he had cycled through 42 cars that he bought, fixed up, and Even though his pedal car and toy collection were world-class, he
sold. That was just him as a teenager. When he became a collector, would tell people that his favorite was his 50th birthday present from
he started with cars because that was his first love—he preferred the family. It was a likeness of dad in his pedal car carved out of a
single block of wood made by a local artist. He displayed it in the
Museum – it was not part of the collection, but it certainly had the
most meaning. It sits in a place of honor, where he can still greet every
person that walks into the Toy Shop.

What was the impetus behind Elmer’s Auto and Toy Museum?

It started as a private collection that my dad would share with
friends, relatives, and business associates when they came to the
house. He didn’t just put things on the shelf – we would ride and
drive all the big items. He made sure they were used and enjoyed—
experienced—not just sitting on display. High-wheelers, go-carts,
pedal cars … they were always meant to be enjoyed.

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