23 replies to this topic

[Dave Crevie]

The Rise and Fall of Matchbox’s Toy-Car Empire

[Bill from NH]

I had some of the gray-tired ones that were made in England. I believe they were 59 cents each with some special pieces costing more. One of my cousins had a English friend who for years sent him two copies of every new Matchbox released, one to play with, one for his collection. That cousin passed away earlier this year, I have yet to find out who ended up with his Matchbox collection.

[Paul Menkens]

I still have quite a few of mine, all made in England by Lesney. There was one store here that sold them for .35! but  they didn't have a good variety. My nephew played with mine at my mother's house and when he grew up she gave them back to me. many were in rough shape cause a kid down the street came when I wasn't home and "borrowed" them from my mother and did his best to ruin them, leaving them in a mud hole! Some have made it onto my train layout, the tractor trailer trucks are close to 1/87 and some others have been painted with rust paint and are in the Paulville junk yard.

[Brian Czeiner]

I was a Hot Wheels over Matchbox fan myself, about 80/20. My Grandpop would get me one every day from Town Toy (the local toy store) when we walked into town. Good memories.

 

Matchbox restoration is becoming a huge hobby in itself that I would someday like to try out. I enjoy watching a guy from Australia called Marty's Matchbox Makeovers on Youtube. The detail in the castings from back then are just incredible. It makes me wonder why  today's manufacturing isn't of such quality.

[Dave Crevie]

I still have some. I used to get two every Christmas in my stocking, one from Ma and one from Dad. About 25 years ago I traded away about half of what I had to a friend for some 1/43rd die cast models that were more to scale. I still have;

 

           Jaguar XK-140  green      1957 original issue

 

          Jaguar D-type   green       1957

 

          MGA                 red            1958 

 

         Jaguar 3.4L Saloon green  1959

     

         Jaguar E-type   red             1962

 

         Lotus 22 F-1     green         1965

 

         BRM  F-1          green         1965

 

         Ferrari 250 SWB red          1965

 

Here's a link to a complete list of what Matchbox had;

 

https://matchbox.fan...atchbox_by_Year

[Bill from NH]

I've seen a couple restorations on YouTube. I gave all of mine to a younger brother to play with & when they got left at my parent's home they got played with by numerous nephews & nieces. Twenty years ago, I went through them & picked out 4 or 5 that had been mine & gave them to my son. They now reside in AZ, but I don't know if my teenaged grandsons ever got to play with them.

 

Hot Wheels is a big restoration hobby too. I never had any of them because they weren't available locally (in Maine) when I was collecting Matchboxes.

[Jim Difalco]

I never collected them but I do remember playing with them at elementary school recess. We had a decent size hill that was mostly dirt and we carved out a track about 2" deep down the hill. Then we would let them go at the top to see who's car could reach the bottom of the track.

 

Damn, that was 60 years ago.

[Dave Crevie]

67 for me. When the more detailed 1/43rd models came out from manufacturers like Jouef, Auto Art and Vitesse I started collecting those. The detail was so much better.;

 

Jouef Ford GT-40;

 

 

And their Ferrari 330P4, (with roof removed);

 

 

I had been collecting some 1/18th and 1/24th die cast, but those took up so much room. We were now starting to see the level of detail from those larger models in the 1/43rd scale cars.

[Dave Crevie]

I'd be chaffed if this article didn't include slot cars;

 

https://www.hagerty....-toy-vehicles/?

[team burrito]

i collected hot wheels when they first came out. later i discovered tomica & they had some great models like the mazda 787b. lately i found some cool hot wheels at target - a porsche 906 with a transporter & 2 gulf livery cars, a lancia rally 037 & fiat 131 abarth.

[MSwiss]

Dave,

Since I put in my Hot Wheels track in the beginning of the year, I've had a much bigger personal interest in Hot Wheels.

 

I joined 3 or 4 HW FB pages, mostly to see if someone was already selling a HW related item I am thinking of producing.

 

Most of the talk is collecting and guys complaining the stock people at the various Dollar stores, Target and Walmart, are all going through the inventory, ahead of stocking the pegboard hooks, taking out the limited/rare Treasure Hunts and Super Treasure Hunts. I'm almost ready to quit following these pages.

 

Much more interesting on FB are the video Reels of a couple of guys who have nice track setups and hold semi-serious races on open, non Hot Wheels 2 car+, wide tracks without dividers in at least the last portion of them.

 

Those are pretty entertaining with the lively and sarcastic dialog.

 

It's inspired me to possibly add another track, with curves, but I'm somewhat limited because I have to keep in mind 3-9 year old kids will be abusing it at least a portion of the time when adults can't monitor it.

 

BTW, Jackie and I went last Friday night to the York, to see the Saturday Night Live movie.

 

On the way home, we swung by your house.

 

Did you acquire an early 2000's Jag convertible?

[Dave Crevie]

Personally I could never see collecting Hot Wheels, since they are not scale models. But I felt the same way about Lionel trains. They make great little racers for the pre-K set, and can really brighten the eyes of a young boy. (some girls, too) Run down an incline like pinewood derby creates a good time and keeps the kids occupied. A while back, Al's hobby shop was selling out the Hot Wheels, so I bought a bunch to give out at our annual block party. I jury rigged a track out of a 1 X 4, and that was a major hit.

 

You and Jackie should have stopped by. I could have made up a map of the matchstick mansions in the neighborhood. Being lit up with floodlights at night, they are even more impressive than they are in the daylight. Jackie would have loved it. And I could have added the locations of the interesting cars near me. But most are in garages, so you would have to be pretty lucky to see them all. 

 

I bought the XKR last summer to have a convertable to drive on nice summer days. Got it off e-Bay motors for cheap. Freshly restored by Bill Kay's Corvette division. I can't walk much, but I could at least drive then. But two weeks after I took delivery I had a bad reaction to a change in medication that left me with brain damage. The result is that I have continual vertigo, and no spacial awareness. And something called tardive dyskinesia, which is uncontrollable jerks and twitches that seem to come whenever I am holding a glass of water or trying to hold food on a fork. Everything goes flying. Plus there are the tremors I have had for a while. Since March I've been on a new med that is supposed to counteract some of this. Pisses me off because I can't build slot cars or trains. No chance that I will be able to finish the car projects. But, c'est le vie, as they say. And I won't call people that do stupid things brain damaged ever again.    

[NSwanberg]

Back in Cub Scout leader days I tried to sell the pack on a Hot Wheels night for all Cubs and siblings. It was a tough sale. I still think it would be fun. The idea was just to set enough track up across the gym floor and see whose car went the farthest. Pretty simple.

[MSwiss]

Personally I could never see collecting Hot Wheels, since they are not scale models.     

As Russ Toy mentioned,  Hot Wheels has some pretty great looking cars these days.

 

Knowing you, you'll quibble about some minor detail with them, but I think they are a superb value.

 

Has the newer medicine they've given you, helped out at all?

 

 

 

 

[Dave Crevie]

Much improved over the old big-wheeled versions. And you are right, I will find some incorrect details, just the way my mind works. (rivet counting model railroader). I have a Ferrari 512 Testa Rossa from probably 20 or more years ago when my buddy's kid was collecting, that if it wasn't in the bubble pack, I would have sworn it was a Pantera. Three weeks ago my neighborhood had their block(s) party, but it was on the next block south this time. Didn't go. Too far for me to walk, and not up to wrestling the wheelchair down the front steps. Anyway, I understand they had a Hot Wheels track set up, and it was a big hit.

 

If the meds are working, I can't tell. Still have days when I feel like a retard, right side not doing what I tell it to. God I miss slot racing, and our little group.

 

Had a cr*pload of trick-or-treaters last night. Gave out 5 1/2 bags of 65 piece candy. Noticed something new; a lot of cars with city stickers not from Elmhurst, parking on my street. They come, unload a bunch of kids, and a half hour to an hour later, load up and leave. Are my neighbors giving out such good stuff that it is attracting people from other towns?

[Bill from NH]

At least they left half a bag for you. 

[Dave Crevie]

Ya gotta be kidding me! Another big bruise on my behind. Between Christmas stocking stuffers I got, and being able to buy the rest at 98 cents each, I could have had a complete collection. 

 

 

 

And there are two days left. The real serious bidding doesn't start until the last 15 minutes. 

 

P. S. ; By the way, I sent that article to a model railroad buddy. He has the American locomotive and the trolley car, the only Matchbox items he owns. Says they are two of the rarest pieces, and has been offered $100 each for them. (or so he says) 

[Dave Crevie]

Last day. Now the fun starts;

 

[Bill from NH]

There was a Sinclair gas pump & sign set I don't see included here. I never had one but mt cousin was sent one from England.

[Dave Crevie]

Checking the "official" list, there are a lot not in this collection. I would like to go out on a limb and say that a complete collection of all the models offered, in all the different colors, would be well over $50 grand. 

 

I have a few Corgis as well, including a brass plated Studebaker Golden Hawk specially made for the Chicago Auto Show. I've been told it is worth big bucks. Quite a few years ago a complete set of Corgis came up for sale. I think we figured the pounds/dollar exchange rate made the selling price over $100 grand. 

 

This is all well and good, but we have to remember that the value of such things depends on what one person is willing to pay for it. The high bidder gets it when everyone else drops out. I currently have an O scale brass locomotive for sale in an O scale newsletter. I listed it for $1000.00, double of what I payed for it in the early 1970's. A bidding war started, and it is now at $8001.00. I have my collection insured at stated value, but I'm sure I am way short of the AMV. 

 

P. S. Found one. Not as much as I expected. 

 

                                                                          

 

Don't know what the current exchange rate is, but these must have been plentiful in the U.K. I found two painted ones at 50 pounds and 39 pounds. 

[Bill from NH]

I gave all my Matchbox, built car models, & an A.C. Gilbert HO train set to my younger brother when I moved out of state in '69. Two or three well-worn Matchbox vehicles came back to my son 30-35 years ago. I don't know if my grandsons got them or if they're stored away in my attic. My brother still has the model cars & the train set.

[Paul Menkens]

I always wanted some Corgis! There was a local hobby and toy store that gave out Corgi catalogs but I don't remember them ever stocking them, I'd read the catalogs until they were shredded paper.

[Dave Crevie]

My favorite store was three blocks from my home. It was called Carter's Corner, and was what we called a variety store. They sold all sorts of knick-knacks, including toys. Along one wall they had shelves that looked like they had been post office sorting cubbies. There was actually two of these, one filled with Matchbox items, and the other filled with Corgi items. In those days they all came in little boxes, and each of the cubbie holes would hold several of each of them. On the floor in front of those shelves, were several wooden milk crates. In those crates were used die cast push toys. If you had your eye on a particular Matchbox or Corgi model, the owners would actually take used ones in trade. And they would haggle with you on price, which gave us kids a taste of what it was like to buy a new car. 

 

Back then, the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin trolley line had a major station at Spring Road, where Carter's was. Both the station and the IGA food store had soda pop machines. Trolley riders would buy a bottle of pop, then throw the empty bottle on the ground around the station. We would collect those bottles and turn them in at the IGA for the 2 cents deposit. I would take my money to Carter's and buy plastic models. 

 

The Matchbox collection on BAT disappeared, probably didn't reach the reserve. The last bid I saw was at $2400. Last night I saw collections on e-Bay for a tiny fraction of that.  

[Dave Crevie]

Sold!