My Most Memorable & Amazing Collections Unearthed: Part 2

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”

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