“How Do I Find the Original Redline Hot Wheels in the Wild?”

May 15th, 2020

If you’ve read my book, REDLINE ARCHEOLOGY – “A History of Diggin’ Up Original Hot Wheels Collections”, you would already know my secrets to finding the old original Hot Wheels collections from the sixties and seventies.  If you haven’t, then this BLOG is for you!

When I began collecting as an adult back in the early nineties, I came up with an approach to attempting to locate these beauties in the wild, per se.  By saying “In the Wild”, I truly mean finding original one-owner childhood collections in people’s basements, attics, closets, garages, storage units, etc.  The approach that I came up with back in the day was to place a simple two- line classified ad in the “WANTED TO BUY” section of a local newspaper called the Courier-Post.  I almost threw in the towel after spending $111.00 on the first weeklong ad that I placed, when, it finally happened: the phone rang on a Sunday morning, and on the other end was a woman from Woodbury, NJ who asked if I was the guy who buys “Hot Wheels.”  I replied with a nervous, excited, and resounding “YES”.

The woman went on to describe the orange 24 “car” Hot Wheels carrying case to me, and I knew that this was exactly what I envisioned and was hoping for: an original one-owner collection of the most amazing toy car line ever created, in my humble opinion.  I proceeded to ask her to turn a few cars upside down and tell me the names of the models of the cars.  She proceeded to do so and described a Heavyweight and two other redlines that I knew very well from my childhood.  We agreed upon a time to meet up, and the rest, as they say, is REDLINE History!

 

Fast Forward almost thirty years later and you can safely assume that I no longer place hundred dollar classified ads in the local paper to find these original collections.  This is true.  I’m asked all the time by other collectors, “How the ____ do you do it?”  It’s really never been a secret, but I guess, with all my success over the years, people think that I’m hiding something.  Well, I can assure you that I’ve never hid how I find collections, and do not to this day.

 

The evolution of the way I collect the original Hot Wheels has brought me to this point.  I have always had to adjust to the changing world and the advancements in technology.  I know this sounds a little crazy, but it has impacted the way I go about finding these amazing original collections that I always share with the Redline Hot Wheels collector world.  I’m sure that with all the cars that I’ve been responsible for diggin’ up over the years, that you may actually own one or many of the cars that have passed through my hands originally.  I’ve literally discovered over 15,000 cars conservatively in my career as a collector, and the number continues to grow with each passing year.

My approach continues to evolve, even to this day.  Currently, I am, with the help of my website designer and SEO consultants, overhauling and converting my very cool and informative website www.RedlineArcheology.com to the latest and greatest format, while adding some really cool new features as well.  This is all being done to drive more individuals to my site for information about the original Hot Wheels as well as people who may be looking to sell their childhood collections.

It is a constant battle to keep up on search engine optimization, plus other new things added all the time.  It can get very time consuming and expensive, but to me, it’s always been worth it.  This go around I am adding a “Comment” feature to this BLOG section along with a new interactive CHAT feature.  Needless to say, the internet presence, frequent SEO analysis, Social Media marketing, are the main cogs in the wheel of uncovering original collections that haven’t seen the light of day in over five decades.

The cost can be quite restrictive for a lot of people who’d like to get into finding these original collections.  Don’t get down because you may not have the funds to do something like this.  It’s truly not for most collectors.  There is hope and there are other ways of finding original collections that don’t require anything except your time and sweat.  I will cover this topic in a future BLOG.

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

Next time 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

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“The 5 Toughest Cars to Find in Original Redline Hot Wheels Collections”

May 7th, 2020

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

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