Archive for year: 2021

Hard to believe that I have been at this so-called hobby of mine or what my friend Jacuveline calls my “Jobby” for almost thirty years now.  One of the most important aspects of discovering original one owner Redline Era Hot Wheels^® Collections is the timing of target marketing.  In other words, what time of year is ideal for searching out these rare entities and spending the money to uncover them.  Early on I figured out that the best and the most successful time of the year is the springtime.  It seemed to begin exactly on May 1^st of each year and end on June 30^th.  In the northeast part of this country, springtime means cleaning out your garages, basements, shed, etc. or what we like to call “Spring Cleaning.”  This meant that these little dusty cases of cars were sometimes discovered by their owners and brought to light after many years of dark and dank storage.  Sometimes they were discarded or sold very cheaply at an owner’s yard sale.  This was, in my humble opinion, the ideal time for me to capture these beauties before they were either given away, thrown away, or sold for a dollar a piece.

 

I learned early on in my collector career to place a small, classified ad on the Sunday before May 1^st and run it for around nine straight weeks in a newspaper with large local circulation.  My total cost way back when was around one thousand dollars to do this but, in my entrepreneurial mind, it was well worth the risk.  It worked like a charm and over the years, paid off tenfold.  My phone would ring multiple times a day once the ad went “live” and most of the time I struck Spectra Flame Gold.  Collection after collection would literally land on my lap to appraise and hopefully purchase.  Back then, most people were happy to get a couple of bucks per car because, in their minds, they only cost around a dollar when first purchased.  They were happy doubling their money.  I typically paid much more than that which made my sellers exceedingly happy.

 

By the time the summer rolled around, my phone stopped ringing and I typically had to pull my classified ad and wait another ten months to score my next collection.  I was very impatient and wanted to experience the thrill of finding many more dusty old Redline Era collections throughout the year and was determined to make this happen.  In my mind, I thought about all the other times of year and convinced myself that placing an ad in the fall before the holidays would work.  I figured that most people would be looking to make some extra money to buy presents and selling their childhood collections of Hot Wheels would check this box.  I wasn’t totally wrong as I would pick up a scant collection or two, but nothing compared to what the springtime produced.  I remained persistent year after year hoping things would change and ultimately improve until I finally threw in the towel after five years of trying and thousands of dollars later.

 

I started to plan my next strategy due to my impatience of having to wait an entire ten months every year to score a collection.  In any business there will always be failures before any success rears its beautiful face.  I convinced myself that people would sell me their collections a month after the holidays ended when the credit card bills started to show up in the mail.  I was again incorrect in my thinking as the phone barely rang during the winter months after placing my ad on February 1^st each year and running it for approximately nine months.  Don’t get me wrong, a blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally but the collections during this time of year were few and very far in between.

 

Looking back, my instincts were a hundred percent correct regarding the springtime, and I still, to this day, apply more marketing dollars during this time of year.  I would be remiss for not trying other times of year, and I have zero regrets with my overall approach to searching out the original Redline Hot Wheels collections.  All’s well that ends well.  Though, for me, there is no end in sight.  Love the hobby, adventure, and thrill of searching out and unearthing these amazing works of art that we call the Redline Hot Wheels.

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 now authored two books:

 

 

Available on AMAZON, Barnes & Noble and now WALMART!

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

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