My Favorite Part of the HUNT

As most of you know by now, my love of Hot Wheels® began in the Summer of 1968. A truly magical time for me and so many others. The Sixties were a time of discovery for this son of a World War II veteran. Outside play was always on my and my friends’ minds. Well, most of them anyway. There was always that one kid in the neighborhood who never came out to play. To this day, I never understood this, but I think every neighborhood had at least one.

Riding our bikes, fishing at the local pond/lake, stickball, street hockey, football, basketball, and anything else that kept us busy outside was on the docket for the day. Sadly, where I grew up, the weather didn’t cooperate a lot and that meant spending a fair amount of time inside. Eventually the release of Hot Wheels in ‘68 turned those gloomy, rainy days into sunshine filled ones. Boy, did we enjoy our time inside with these little amazing gems. Outside was still king in our very energetic minds, and every day we prayed for sunshine.

If you’ve read either of my books (Redline Archeology: A History of Diggin’ up Original Hot Wheels Collections and Redline Archeology 2: The Dig Continues), you may know what the driving force behind my passion of diggin’ up the original Hot Wheels, known to the collector world as “Redlines.” Not only were sports on the forefront of our minds as little boys, but for this aspiring archaeologist, digging up whatever I could find in the dirt at the schoolyard or in the woods that surrounded my neighborhood was truly the main driving force behind what I do in this wonderful hobby of ours.

I remember telling my mom that all I wanted to be when I grew up was an archaeologist who digs up old dinosaur bones. Period and End of Story. My mother wasn’t having any of it. She would shut me down immediately and always stressed that I could “never make any money digging up old dinosaur bones.” Well, I wasn’t having any of it at that time, so I just kept digging and digging anyplace and anywhere that called my name.

A sample of arrowheads uncovered in Camden County, New Jersey.

To this day I still have six indian arrowheads and spearheads along with a few other Indian artifacts I discovered as a 12-year-old in the playground at my first school, Parkview Elementary. One day I stumbled across an old Lenni Lenape campsite along a stream called Signey Run in the woods behind the elementary school. This was confirmed as such by the town historian to my parents at the time when we visited the local library and presented all the items I had dug up.

Lenni Lenape campsite on the banks of Signey Run behind Parkview Elementary School in Stratford Township, New Jersey

Needless to say, I had a few other quite impressive dig sites that I’d like to revisit one day that I know hold many historic treasures dating back to the seventeen hundreds. I would probably have to cut through a lot of red tape to even be given access in some of the towns where I know there are historic dig sites. To this day, it weighs heavily on my mind, and I know that one day I will visit each of the respective town halls and ask to speak to someone that would listen to this fifty-year-old story.

So, the question of the day is, “What is my favorite part of the Hunt? What do I love about diggin’ up the old Hot Wheels. Well, most people assume or think that I am a very passionate collector of the old Hot Wheels. This couldn’t be further from the truth. What my most favorite part of the hunt and what drives me to do what I do at the highest level in the hobby, is, well, “THE HUNT!”

An original owner set unearthed by your favorite Redline Archeologist.

I just love finding the original one owner collections that haven’t been dusted off in over five decades, in their original state. I do not buy off of collectors nor do I purchase off of auction sites. I’ve found some of the most incredible cars and amazing collections over the past 30 plus years and there seems to be no slowing me down. The “Hunt” and the ultimate “Capture” are what keeps bringing me back time and time again. It’s like hitting a hole in one in golf every time. As time goes on, it seems like I’m bringing more and more cars and collections to the surface and collector hobby every day. Most, if not all of you who read this, probably have a car or many cars in your collection that were originally unearthed by yours truly, at one time or another. To date, it’s conservatively estimated that I’ve uncovered over 31,000 Redlines since 1992 when I began this journey. Let that sink in for a minute.

Surprisingly, my personal stash of Redlines is only around 50 cars at any given time, and eventually they will all be placed in the right collector’s hands, as well. We all have a passion built into our very own DNA. Mine just happens to be diggin’ up old stuff, especially the REDLINE HOT WHEELS. The Hunt goes on…

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 now authored two books: