The Krinke Collection is a labor of love.
Neil Krinke has been a farmer on his family’s farms that’s been in the family for 150 years. He lives in Scranton, N.D., and he collects race cars, signs, and classic cars. While in one of his cars, a 1929 Model A, he met Rosalie, the love of his life.
62 years after meeting Rosalie, they share a car collection that tells the story of their life together. Their collection features over 100 collector cars, memorabilia, and parts. One car about to leave their collection is a 1964-1/2 Ford Mustang.
“It was tough,” Neil said, looking down at the rim of his coffee mug. “It really was tough. At first, I flip-flopped back and forth … But you can see the handwriting on the wall. Now at our age, you know something has to be done sooner or later anyway … We just decided to bite the bullet and sell them all, including some future projects. I had a lot of projects left to do. But time’s running out.”
In 1972, Neil really upped his collection game, with the Krinke Collection housing mostly Fords, but as a 1950 Mercury Convertible, a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible, and a 1964 Mercury Marauder. But the 1929 Model A he bought for $500 is extra special since it’s the car he met his wife while driving.
“That was the first car I got serious about. I was just looking for something and my brother had a Model A Coupe, and I thought they were really cool. We didn’t call them cool then, but they were neat,” Neil said, adding that he still has it in storage.
He took the car to a weekend dance, and that’s where he met Rosie, and that was the beginning of their long love story.