![]() “And they are easily worth $20,000 (U.S.) and more in beautiful mint condition.” “They're stunningly beautiful,” Pascal said. But they took a long time to make, so very few were made, and only 30 are thought to have survived. “They told the manager of their Hong Kong plant, ‘Make these cars look like Christmas ornaments.’” To achieve the glittering effect, the body, hood and chassis were Chrome-plated before the sparkling paint was applied. Hot wheels collection tv#“When Hot Wheels first came out in 1968, Mattel wanted to have a car that sparkled for their TV commercials,” said Pascal. With more than 7,000 pieces of memorabilia, including 4,000 die cast cars, his collection is one of the most valuable of its kind in the world and he often shares his most-prized items on his Instagram account, Here he talks tells us about three of his favourites. When Washington, D.C., commercial real estate executive Bruce Pascal isn’t selling property, he indulges his passion, tending to his Hot Wheels collection. That was another thing that led me into this,” Elson said. “Seven hundred bottles take up a lot more space than my 700 Hot Wheels. He also admits these 2.5- and three-inch miniatures take up less space than his former hobby – which was collecting antique glass bottles. “The kids today that are growing up with Hot Wheels are going to have when they've got a career, a family, kids and they need a hobby, and they discover their old cars and here we go. “Hot Wheels have the advantage over other collectables because they still make Hot Wheels,” he said. Even with the shift in the collector’s market, Elson said he thinks the hobby will continue. Still, there are finds to be had, he said, as collections are unearthed from basements and attics. Some of the medical stocks are probably going crazy right now.” Take a few flyers on the tech stock here and there. “If it’s only about money you’d probably be better off in the stock market. He said people who get into collecting these miniature cars need should have a personal reason to do so rather than just a financial one. “I don't want to get into an auction with a guy and spend $4,000 on a car that I think is worth $1,500, but that's what's happening.” He cited huge shipping charges and rising auction prices as gamechangers. That’s it.”Įlson said the nature of collecting has changed over the years. “I know a guy in California, who only collects blue cars with white interiors. These cars he collects are the ones with the redline wheels, which have a red strip on the tires and where only produced for about a decade, and those with Spectraflame paint finishes, a process that gave the cars a realistic metallic look. “My vision for Hot Wheels is pretty narrow. The popularity of collecting Hot Wheels has grown in recent years, and Elson said there are as many kinds of collectors as there are models out there. I probably had eight or 10 original Hot Wheels in good shape, so right then and there I decided I was going to start collecting and get all the ones I never had, as a kid.” These cars were selling for $30, $40 or $50 (U.S.). “I took pretty good care of them, so, when I found them 20 years ago, I went on eBay and I was amazed. “Hot Wheels came out when I was eight years old, the perfect age for toy cars,” Elson said. Like with so many other collectors, his interest in Hot Wheels – those die-cast cars first produced by toy company Mattel in 1968 – has roots in his childhood, but Elson only began seriously compiling his selection of miniature cars two decades ago. The East York resident has been collecting Hot Wheels cars for 20 years and said he has amassing 700 of them. I still have a little box with the bird skulls and mouse skulls I found as kid. My mom used to drag me around to garage sales and antique shops when I was quite little. “I’ve always like old things and I've always collected things, ever since I was a kid. “I think you’re born with the passion,” he said. Steve Elson is the first to admit he is the very definition of a fervent collector. ![]()
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