“What is a ‘REDLINE’ Hot Wheels?”

You’ve probably just either, A) Cleaned out your attic; B) Straightened up your basement: C) Been handed a box of old toys from an older relative; OR D) Come across some really cool and old Hot Wheels at a Yard Sale/Garage Sale/Flea Market. Now you ask yourself the question: “What are these very cool toy cars?”

Chances are that, if the Hot Wheels Gods are shining down upon you, they are what we call in the hobby, “REDLINE Hot Wheels” and you may have just hit the motherlode! “But how do I tell if they truly are the Holy Grail of Hot Wheels??” Well, it’s kinda sorta simple looking at it from 40,000 feet.

Here we go:

REDLINE Hot Wheels are considered the most desirable of all the Hot Wheels, but also the most expensive across the board. You will get an argument from some hardcore mainliners, but for the most part, these puppies are what every Hot Wheels collector truly dreams about. Hot Wheels were first released by the Mattel corporation in the summer of 1968; June ’68 to be more accurate. I think they timed it just perfectly for my 8th birthday celebration in July. 😉 They were produced for the following ten years, until 1977 and also switched from the shiny Spectraflame to the Enamel paint for the most part in 1973. They were an instant hit with their California Custom designs, Spectraflame Paint, Cool packaging, and the most innovative accessories for any toy line at the time and still to this day, in my opinion. Hot Wheels just blew away the competition, Matchbox, and as they say, the REST IS HISTORY!

You say to yourself, “I’d like to sell my old Hot Wheels, but how do I tell if they are the true REDLINE Hot Wheels?” So, here’s how you tell:

First and foremost, you look for the thin “Red Line” around the outside of each of the tires where a whitewall would normally be expressed. Secondly, you have to make sure that they are not the reproduction Redlines that we produced years after in the nineties in celebration of the original line. Redline reproductions can still be found on the pegs to this day. Do not confuse them with the originals. When Mattel started producing the reproduction Redlines, they either stamped the bases with the Hot Wheels logo or placed a small Hot Wheels logo TAMPO on the body of the cars. Another way of identifying the originals is to look at the base to see where they were produced. The original Redlines were only produced in the US and Hong Kong. Newer reproductions were produced in Malaysia. Also keep in mind that even though a car may have a date of 1968 stamped on the base, does not make it an original. The date is the first year of production for that model/casting.

So you’ve done your homework/research and everything points in the direction that you have the original Redlines. You now think to yourself that you may have hit the jackpot, and you have what all of us passionate Redline collectors are looking for, the original REDLINE Hot Wheels! You now ask yourself the age-old question: “How do I sell my old Hot Wheels?”

LOOK NO FURTHER!

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 over 30 years of diggin’ up original one owner Hot Wheels collections, 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 and Barnes & Noble.

Call us anytime at 856-912-2463 or complete our Contact Form.