Archive for category: Hot Wheels

The cars and collections keep coming in on a fairly regular basis.  I hear all the time how the cars and collections have dried up and gone away.  I am living proof that amazing collections and incredibly rare cars are still just waiting to be discovered all across this great country of ours.  With the hundreds upon hundreds of original one-owner Redline Era Hot Wheels^® collections and the tens of thousands of cars they have produced, a few cars stand head and bumpers over the rest. They are and remain some of my most amazing finds over the last thirty years.  In this blogpost I will introduce you to a few cars that have never been seen before to others; they’ll just make your jaw drop due to their stunning condition and beauty.  So, fasten your seatbelts and away we go, out of the starting gate, down the legendary orange track, through the loop de loop, over the jump, and through the finish gate.  Here are some of my most incredible discoveries of my collecting, hunting, and capturing career.

 

Magenta Continental Mk III

The Magenta Continental Mk III with a black roof.  Yes, you are not seeing things, I said with a black roof.  Never even known to exist, this black roof Continental Mk III was found in an attic during a clean out of a former Mattel employee.  The car was accompanied by eleven others in a toolbox owned by the former Mattel employee.  There were other stunningly beautiful and rare cars besides this anomaly, but none as rare as this one of a kind.  The car was part of the Lunenberg, Massachusetts find recently.  I wrote a whole chapter on the collection in my new book REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY “The Dig Continues”, slated for release on September 18^th, 2021.

Everything about the car looked original, including the painted black roof and all four pillars.  Other than the rear pillars on the Custom Fleetside, there have never been any castings pillars painted that have black roofs.  This particular car had all four if its pillars professionally painted.  Also, upon further and close inspection, the car’s roof appeared to have the infamous grids underneath the paint.  We will have to, as a collector community, all do our research to see if there is any documentation from Mattel or any of its designers to verify the car as a prototype, paint test car, or early release.  The jury is still out on this remarkable piece and has left a lot of longtime collectors scratching their collective heads.  A truly one of a kind and mysterious find for the REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY Record Books.

 

Aqua Sidekick

Next up is the AQUA Sidekick.  Aqua is considered the rarest and toughest color in this casting and is near impossible to find in any condition.  The car was discovered as part of an original one-owner collection out of British Columbia, Canada in the Winter of 2021.  There were other rare pieces in colors you normally do not find in certain castings.  A ROSE PINK Rocket Bye Baby and APPLE GREEN Strip Teaser were also part of this incredible find out of this discovery north of the border.

Not only was it AQUA which made it incredibly rare to begin with, but the condition of the car was blister pack fresh.  I was shocked when the car showed its beautiful self to me and looked even better in person.  Thanks to our great neighbor from the North for this beautiful collection and amazing and exceedingly rare Sidekick.

 

 

 

 

 

Rolls Royce Silver Shadow in Purple!

The Rolls Royce Silver Shadow is a quite common casting that shows up in over ninety percent of all collections I unearth.  It always shows up in grey enamel, always.  Well, I can no longer make that claim as one appeared in a color and condition that is almost never seen in the hobby, PURPLE.  The car came out of an original one owner collection out of Lodi, California.  Some of the best cars I have found over the years have been produced by the EUREKA state.

The car came with a white interior and beautiful deep rich purple paint.  No black roof which made it even better for this Redline Archeologist.  The car is stunning and will stay in my personal collection for a long, long time.

 

 

 

 

 

Hot Pink Tow Truck

Finally, the HOT PINK Tow Truck.  Yes, I did say HOT PINK Tow Truck.   I cannot tell you how many messages and comments I received over this piece and its authenticity.  A fair amount of Redline Hot Wheels collectors never knew that the Tow Truck was produced in HOT PINK.  Well, newsflash, the Hong Kong version was produced in HOT PINK and is considered the rarest color in this casting.  The car was part of a local collection out of Atco, New Jersey.  It was presented to me at a local coffee shop and in a shoe box with about two dozen other cars.  You just never know…

In an upcoming blog I will give everyone a private tour of my personal collection that has taken me 30 years to assemble.  Only the Best of the Best!  I hope you enjoyed this blog.  I encourage each of you to comment below and SHARE this website.  Let’s keep the hobby fun and interesting!  Happy collecting!!

Remember, it’s all about the “Hunt” and “Capture!”

 

If you have the old REDLINE Hot Wheels and are thinking of selling them, Look No Further!

You now ask yourself the age old question:  “How do I sell my old Hot Wheels?”

Here at REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY, we will appraise your collection, at NO COST and NO OBLIGATION, and make the highest offer in the hobby for your cars, if they are from the years we are looking for, 1967 – 1977.

With almost 30 years of diggin’ up original one owner childhood Hot Wheels collections from the sixties and seventies, REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY is the only place to have your old Hot Wheels appraised by one of the most successful collectors in the hobby, Bob Young.  Bob has recently authored a book titled:

“REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY:

A History of Diggin’ Up Original Hot Wheels Collections”

Available on AMAZON, Barnes & Noble and now WALMART!

Call us anytime @ 856.912.2463 or visit us @ www.RedlineArcheology.com

At last count, I have unearthed over 15,000 Original One Owner Redline Hot Wheels in the past 28 years and counting.  In 2020, I am on pace to eclipse over 1000+ Original Redline Hot Wheels brought to light.

So here we go with one of my most memorable finds since 1992.

The Elkins Park, PA Collection

It was a typical Spring day in late May of 2002 when the phone rang…. You know, the phone that hung on the wall with the stretchy coiled up cord that only stretched about ten feet.  I picked up the phone not knowing who was on the other end.  Hard to believe, I know, that there was no caller ID at the time, and certainly not for the phone I had.  Back in the day we had to sprint to the phone prior to the answering machine picking up the call.  It was a real juggling act back then.  How many rings to set the answering machine for before it would pick up the call.  We older people certainly understand, lol.

On the other end of the phone was an older woman who asked if I was the guy who buys Hot Wheels.  I always loved getting these calls as most of them were totally legitimate.  I answered affirmatively, and we made plans for me to come out and see the collection over the next couple of days.  My good collector friend,Todd Deschaine decided to make the trip with me across the Delaware River to see the collection firsthand.  Todd went with me occasionally to see the collections I would typically buy and was always the first person I would call when I either got a good phone call or discovered a nice original Redline collection.

When we arrived at the individual’s house located in Elkins Park, PA, we knocked on the screen door.  About 3 seconds later, we heard a voice yelling at us from what seemed the backyard to “Come on in, I’m in the kitchen.”

We opened the main door and couldn’t believe what we saw.  Todd and I both looked at each and said, “How are we going to get through all the stuff and make our way to the kitchen, wherever that was.”  We felt like we were on an episode of “HOARDERS!”  Well, Todd and I finally made our way through the maze of, well, for lack of a better term, JUNK.  We forged a path through the living room, passed a bathroom, we think, down a hallway, and finally arrived in what appeared to be a kitchen somewhere within the four walls where we now stood.

The woman was there and welcomed us to her humble abode.  She was a very nice lady who was very appreciative that we made the trip.  She then pointed to two brown shipping boxes that looked like there were around 200 old toy cars in both.  She instructed us that this was where we would find the elusive Redline Hot Wheels.  Todd took hold of one box and I took the other.  I’d like to say we then proceeded to sit down and go through the myriad of toy cars, but there was nowhere to actually sit.

We were finding Corgi, Dinky, Matchbox all throughout both boxes, but we weren’t finding any Redline Hot Wheels.  We were starting to lose hope when Todd pulled out a really nice Yellow SHOW HOSS and Mustang Stocker, both in really nice condition surprisingly.  We did finally dig up around 20 Redlines plus one Johnny Lightning in the group.  Todd nor I never gave the Johnny Lightning another thought.  After all, we were Redline hunters through and through.  When I got home, I did a little more research on the Johnny Lighting and it turned out to be a Hot Pink metallic Custom GTO in BP fresh condition.

Upon further inspection, by one of the largest Johnny Lightning collectors at the time, it was confirmed that the car was a true “Salesman’s Sample.”  I was offered $2000.00 immediately from the collector.  I said no to the offer, as I knew him well enough that if he was offering me $2000.00, the car was probably worth at least double that.  Also, the next weekend we had one of our East Coast Redliner Meets scheduled, and I figured I could shop it then.  I was always looking for trades rather than cash at these type of events.

One of the big Redline collectors/spenders at the time was in attendance at the ECR Meet, and I understood that he was a huge Johnny Lightning collector as well.  I approached him and showed him the Pink GTO.  He immediately offered me a Blue OLDS 442 Blister Pack in trade.  I held out as I knew I could get more.  I was right.  He walked over to my table an hour later, with not only the Blue OLDS 442 BP, but he also had a Green OLDS 442 BP that both were unpunched and in really beautiful condition.  I couldn’t get the Johnny Lightning out of my case fast enough.  As with all my trades, both parties were extremely happy with the deal.  Considering what I paid for that one Johnny Lightning, and what I traded it for, I’d say that, even though the collection was small that came out of Elkins Park, PA, it did pack a more than mighty punch!

So, as you can see, the stuff is still out there waiting to be discovered.  A collection and more importantly, an OLDS 442 experience I will never forget.

In an upcoming BLOG I will give everyone a Private Tour of my personal collection that has taken me 30 years to assemble.  Only the Best of the Best!  I hope you enjoyed this BLOG.  I encourage each of you to comment below and SHARE this website.  Let’s keep the hobby fun and interesting!  Happy collecting!!

Remember, it’s all about the “Hunt” and “Capture!”

If you have the old REDLINE Hot Wheels and are thinking of selling them, Look No Further!

You now ask yourself the age old question:  “How do I sell my old Hot Wheels?”

Here at REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY, we will appraise your collection, at NO COST and NO OBLIGATION, and make the highest offer in the hobby for your cars, if they are from the years we are looking for, 1967 – 1977.

With almost 30 years of diggin’ up original one owner childhood Hot Wheels collections from the sixties and seventies, REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY is the only place to have your old Hot Wheels appraised by one of the most successful collectors in the hobby, Bob Young.  Bob has recently authored a book titled:

“REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY:

A History of Diggin’ Up Original Hot Wheels Collections”

Available on AMAZON, Barnes & Noble and now WALMART!

Call us anytime @ 856.912.2463 or visit us @ www.RedlineArcheology.com

I always get asked the age-old questions of, “How do you do it?” and, “Why can’t I ever find even one original Hot Wheels collection?”  The answer is quite simple, and let’s get right to it.  In a recent BLOG I uncovered how I did it then, 30 years ago, and how I do it now, more recently, considering the ever-changing landscape of the internet, social media, and technology.  “How I do it” now really encompasses a wide array of tactics, with the internet approach being the main focus.  However, there are ways of “skinning a cat” on a much more limited budget.  Doing what I do now takes a lot of time, work, and of course, dinero.  But how would you do it if you: A.) Don’t have the time; B.)  Don’t have the knowledge; and C.)  Don’t have the expendable funds.  Well, since you asked, I’ll tell ya.  Now pay close attention because here we go!

In the beginning, way back in the early Nineties, my time and funds were very limited.  The internet was just getting started and social media, meant, well, nothing.  I would run a classified ad in a local paper for the month of May when I thought that people would be doing their Spring cleaning and would stumble across their old Hot Wheels collections.  I guessed right.  I would hit collections almost every day in the month of May each Spring, and boy was it F.U.N.  I really never tested other times of the year with a classified ad due to my limited funds.  However, I continued to score collection after collection during the other eleven months of the year, just not at the same rate.

But what did I do the other eleven months of the year, you ask…I utilized a method called “Gorilla Marketing” which I didn’t even know I was using until years later, 1998 to be exact, when a friend of mine bought me the book called “Gorilla Marketing” when I was starting my company Geese Chasers, LLC.

I was a born entrepreneur from the day I took my first breath.  I write all about in my book.  So let’s discuss my approach that really didn’t cost me much more than my time, ingenuity, and here’s the biggie…..PERSISTENCE!  I had one sided/one color (red)  business cards made for about $10 for 500, and they read:  I BUY OLD TOYS Hot Wheels Johnny Lightnings Top Dollar Paid, Call Anytime, Home Phone Number (No cell phones back then) and lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ (pictured here).  This is one of my original business cards from 1992.  Don’t you just love the simplicity and the car graphic?  I would carry the cards with me to all the local toy shows, flea markets, garage sales, yard sales, estate sales, neighbors BBQs, sporting events, parties, etc.  Well, you get the point.  I used a “Grass Roots” approach and boy did it pay off.

Word of mouth spread, and collections were being offered to me on a fairly regular basis year-round.  People actually went out looking for them for me because I also offered a 10% Finder’s Fee, which I still offer to this day.  Another layer to my “Grass Roots” approach was the cork bulletin boards you’d find at the local grocery stores and businesses.  I would not only pin a few of my business cards to the board every time I visited, but I also added an 8”x11” flyer that had pictures of the Beachbomb, Paddy Wagon, Twinmill, Camaro, and any other car or accessory that I felt was very recognizable to the public and shoppers passing by the board.  Yes, that worked as well, and these bulletin boards still exist in coffee shops, grocery stores and other businesses to this day.

So, as you can see, it really doesn’t take a lot of money to find these amazing collections, and I certainly am living proof.  I’ve been at this a long time and I still depend on my “Grass Roots” efforts in finding original one owner Hot Wheels collections from the sixties and seventies “In the Wild.”

In an upcoming BLOG I will give everyone a Private Tour of my personal collection that has taken me 30 years to assemble.  Only the Best of the Best!  I hope you enjoyed this BLOG.  I encourage each of you to comment below and SHARE this website.  Let’s keep the hobby fun and interesting!  Happy collecting!!

Remember, it’s all about the “Hunt” and “Capture!”

If you have the old REDLINE Hot Wheels and are thinking of selling them, Look No Further!

You now ask yourself the age old question:  “How do I sell my old Hot Wheels?”

Here at REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY, we will appraise your collection, at NO COST and NO OBLIGATION, and make the highest offer in the hobby for your cars, if they are from the years we are looking for 1967 – 1977.

With almost 30 years of diggin’ up original one owner childhood Hot Wheels collections from the sixties and seventies, REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY is the only place to have your old Hot Wheels appraised by one of the most successful collectors in the hobby, Bob Young.  Bob has recently authored a book titled “REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY” “A History of Diggin’ Up Original Hot Wheels Collections” now available on AMAZON + Barnes & Noble and now WALMART. 

Call us anytime @ 856.912.2463 or visit us @ www.RedlineArcheology.com

A couple questions that I hear frequently in the hobby: “What color is the rarest for this particular casting?” and “What colors were produced least for the entire line of Hot Wheels from 1968 – 1972?”  There are lots of experts in the field with their opinions, and collectors guides that have been produced that actually rank each casting by color, which certainly impacts a car’s value.

Over the many years of searching out original one-owner childhood collections of the original Hot Wheels, I certainly have a developed a strong opinion on what colors I feel are the rarest, due to the amount that have shown their beautiful faces in the thousands of cars I’ve uncovered.

Let’s keep in mind the fact that even common colors, like blue, can be very rare in certain castings as well.  Examples of rare blue cars are the Power Pad and AMX II.

The one myth that I can certainly debunk is the color Hot Pink.  Yes, I totally agree that it’s a rare color in certain castings, but there are other castings for which that it was truly a common color.  Some cars were never produced in this color, as well as other colors.  Mattel never seemed to have a consistent pattern when deciding on which colors a certain casting was to be mass produced.  Some examples of castings where Hot Pink was considered a more common color were: The Whip Creamer, Nomad, and Custom AMX.  I can certainly attest to this as these cars in Hot Pink show up fairly consistently in collections that I purchase.  I am going to leave Hot Pink out of the TOP 5 for argument’s sake.  Don’t get me wrong, it is a rare color in lots of castings, but it has a certain desirability about it which makes it even more rare in a lot of collectors’ minds.  Just not mine.

Let’s move on to what, in my opinion, and my opinion only, I feel are the scarcest and least produced colors by Mattel in both California and Hong Kong during the first five years of production.

TOP FIVE COLORS

In no particular order, here are the Top 5 rarest and least produced colors for the original SPECTRFLAME Hot Wheels:

ANTI-FREEZE

ORANGE

SALMON PINK (Nuclear)

LITE BLUE (Windex/Ice)

BROWN (Chocolate)

These colors have only shown themselves a handful of times throughout the last three decades of collecting for me.  When they do, and if they are in beautiful condition, they are immediately placed in my personal collection.  I have realized just how rare and scarce nice examples of these colors are in ANY casting.

I have included some pictures of these incredible cars from my personal collection.  I think that you will all agree to their beauty and the fact that this may be the first time that you’ve seen these castings in one of these particular and very rare colors.

I would love to hear your comments below.  Please take the time to comment, and let’s keep this hobby fun and exciting.  The Redline Hot Wheels certainly deserve it!

NEXT

In an upcoming blog, I will discuss my personal collection and why I have kept the cars I have from so many that have passed through my hands over the last thirty years.  Thanks for stopping by and Happy Hunting!

Remember, it’s all about the “Hunt” and “Capture!”

 

If you have the old REDLINE Hot Wheels and are thinking of selling them, Look No Further!

You now ask yourself the age old question:  “How do I sell my old Hot Wheels?”

Here at REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY, we will appraise your collection, at NO COST and NO OBLIGATION, and make the highest offer in the hobby for your cars, if they are from the years we are looking for 1967 – 1977.

With almost 30 years of diggin’ up original one owner childhood Hot Wheels collections from the sixties and seventies, REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY is the only place to have your old Hot Wheels appraised by one of the most successful collectors in the hobby, Bob Young.  Bob has recently authored a book titled “REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY” “A History of Diggin’ Up Original Hot Wheels Collections” now available on AMAZON + Barnes & Noble. 

Call us anytime @ 856.912.2463 or visit us @ www.RedlineArcheology.com

I, officially and technically, started collecting Redline Hot Wheels back in July 1968.  July 1st, 1968, my 8th birthday to be exact, and I remember the day well.  If you’ve read my book, “REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY”A History of Diggin’Up Original Hot Wheels Collections, well, you already know the story.  I guess I could claim that I’ve been a Redline Hot Wheels collector for more than five decades.  Hard to believe, especially for me, but in reality, I began searching out original childhood one owner Redline Collections since the early nineties.  I’ve been at it ever since and have purchased hundreds of collections, yes, I said hundreds, which equates into thousands of cars and accessories.  If I would have kept everything I’ve dug up over the last three decades, I would need a second home.

Over the years with the many discoveries and thousands of cars, I have really taken note of the cars that rarely ever show up in these Rally Tire cases, Stack cases, Flat cases, and Gear Boxes!  I’ve noticed how collectors in this hobby, over the years, have categorized the Redline Hot Wheels cars into “Common,”“Mid-Range,” and “Rare.”I agree with them for the most part, but there are certain exceptions to this rule that I’ve noticed with all the collections that have crossed my path.  Drumroll please….. Here we go with what I, Bob Young, self-proclaimed Redline Archeologist and true passionate collector of the most amazing and innovative toy car line ever created, are the 5 MOST RARE Redline Hot Wheels to find in original one owner childhood collections:

 

#5 –  Rolls Royce Silver Shadow in any color other than Grey.  In almost three decades of hunting down original Redline Hot Wheels collections, I still, to this day, have never seen a RRSS in any color other than Grey appear in any case I uncovered.

#4 – Carabo.  A common casting that rarely shows up in childhood collections.  A very cool casting that never really gained much popularity.  I have seen this car show up twice in my collecting career.  Once in a BP collection out of NorCal and once from a former Mattel Employee collection out of Tucson, AZ but that’s where the buck stops.

#3 – Olds 442.  We all know that they are rare, but other than Magenta, they rarely appear complete and with the back spoiler in any color.

#2 – Racer Rig.  Another car that I’ve only seen a couple show their faces over the years.  Of the two times that they have actually appeared in an original collection that I dug up, once it was missing the white enamel cab.  A tough, tough piece.

#1 – Strip Teaser.  I have this argument all the time with fellow collectors.  This car has only appeared twice in almost three decades of collecting for me, and both times in Aqua.  I have scored more of the 1973 Shell Promos than the original Strip Teaser from 1971.  I equate the scarcity of this 1971 casting due to its unpopularity back in the day with children of the seventies.  It must have just not appealed to them in many ways.  It is a very odd concept car casting I admit, but it took me over 26 years for one to finally show itself in a collection I dug up, and of course it was Aqua.

Well, there you have it, a list of the Top 5 rarest Redlines from my perspective.  I’m sure this will raise many an eyebrow in the hobby, but this is my experience with what I’ve experienced over the many years of hunting down these cars from people’s attics, basements, etc.

NEXT BLOG: I’ll discuss how I approach the difficult task of discovering Redline Hot Wheels in the wild, per se.  Thanks for stopping by and Happy Hunting!  Remember, it’s all about the “Hunt”and “Capture!”

 

If you have the old REDLINE Hot Wheels and are thinking of selling them, Look No Further!

You now ask yourself the age old question:  “How do I sell my old Hot Wheels?”

Here at REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY, we will appraise your collection, at NO COST and NO OBLIGATION, and make the highest offer in the hobby for your cars, if they are from the years we are looking for 1967 – 1977.

With almost 30 years of diggin’up original one owner childhood Hot Wheels collections from the sixties and seventies, REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY is the only place to have your old Hot Wheels appraised by one of the most successful collectors in the hobby, Bob Young.  Bob has recently authored a book titled “REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY”“A History of Diggin’Up Original Hot Wheels Collections”now available on AMAZON + Barnes & Noble. 

Call us anytime @ 856.912.2463 or visit us @ www.RedlineArcheology.com