The Grass Roots Approach to Finding Original One Owner Redline Collections

I always get asked the age-old questions of, “How do you do it?” and, “Why can’t I ever find even one original Hot Wheels collection?”  The answer is quite simple, and let’s get right to it.  In a recent BLOG I uncovered how I did it then, 30 years ago, and how I do it now, more recently, considering the ever-changing landscape of the internet, social media, and technology.  “How I do it” now really encompasses a wide array of tactics, with the internet approach being the main focus.  However, there are ways of “skinning a cat” on a much more limited budget.  Doing what I do now takes a lot of time, work, and of course, dinero.  But how would you do it if you: A.) Don’t have the time; B.)  Don’t have the knowledge; and C.)  Don’t have the expendable funds.  Well, since you asked, I’ll tell ya.  Now pay close attention because here we go!

In the beginning, way back in the early Nineties, my time and funds were very limited.  The internet was just getting started and social media, meant, well, nothing.  I would run a classified ad in a local paper for the month of May when I thought that people would be doing their Spring cleaning and would stumble across their old Hot Wheels collections.  I guessed right.  I would hit collections almost every day in the month of May each Spring, and boy was it F.U.N.  I really never tested other times of the year with a classified ad due to my limited funds.  However, I continued to score collection after collection during the other eleven months of the year, just not at the same rate.

But what did I do the other eleven months of the year, you ask…I utilized a method called “Gorilla Marketing” which I didn’t even know I was using until years later, 1998 to be exact, when a friend of mine bought me the book called “Gorilla Marketing” when I was starting my company Geese Chasers, LLC.

I was a born entrepreneur from the day I took my first breath.  I write all about in my book.  So let’s discuss my approach that really didn’t cost me much more than my time, ingenuity, and here’s the biggie…..PERSISTENCE!  I had one sided/one color (red)  business cards made for about $10 for 500, and they read:  I BUY OLD TOYS Hot Wheels Johnny Lightnings Top Dollar Paid, Call Anytime, Home Phone Number (No cell phones back then) and lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ (pictured here).  This is one of my original business cards from 1992.  Don’t you just love the simplicity and the car graphic?  I would carry the cards with me to all the local toy shows, flea markets, garage sales, yard sales, estate sales, neighbors BBQs, sporting events, parties, etc.  Well, you get the point.  I used a “Grass Roots” approach and boy did it pay off.

Word of mouth spread, and collections were being offered to me on a fairly regular basis year-round.  People actually went out looking for them for me because I also offered a 10% Finder’s Fee, which I still offer to this day.  Another layer to my “Grass Roots” approach was the cork bulletin boards you’d find at the local grocery stores and businesses.  I would not only pin a few of my business cards to the board every time I visited, but I also added an 8”x11” flyer that had pictures of the Beachbomb, Paddy Wagon, Twinmill, Camaro, and any other car or accessory that I felt was very recognizable to the public and shoppers passing by the board.  Yes, that worked as well, and these bulletin boards still exist in coffee shops, grocery stores and other businesses to this day.

So, as you can see, it really doesn’t take a lot of money to find these amazing collections, and I certainly am living proof.  I’ve been at this a long time and I still depend on my “Grass Roots” efforts in finding original one owner Hot Wheels collections from the sixties and seventies “In the Wild.”

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” now available on AMAZON + Barnes & Noble and now WALMART. 

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