Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Auto collectibles and paraphernalia...

15791011

Comments

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    These are meant more as old toys than scale models, sentimental objects. Still...I have a hard time at the $100 level, not to mention 10 or 50 times that.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I prefer to collect things that are well-made, so that even a rookie who has no knowledge would recognize it as worth keeping and protecting...for instance, just about everybody would recognize that a beautifully made ship model is not something you'd accidentally throw out.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The next generations won't have the nostalgia

    I've read quite a few stories about boomers bemoaning the fact that their kids have no interest in their pencil collection or their cigar band collection. And no museum wants that stuff either. Maybe Ripley's.

    Old toys probably will do okay though since they are just fun to look at, unlike, say, old lottery tickets.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    That's true, the charm of old toys will help. But there will be a peak for boomer era stuff then decline or at best stagnantion, as has happened with many 30s era toys. Right now some 80s toys are on the way up, being the last decade before collectors started hoarding new in box items.

    I think things like cigar bands and carnival glass and the like have been on the way down for some time - the generations who collected those have been dying off for decades. Toys should perform better than mass produced glassware. Things like hummels and mass market art pottery are also way off.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    For a lot of collectors though, it depends on who made it and where. If I am a great model builder but unknown, I'll have a small market. Labels add a lot.

    Most common late 50s/early 60s British diecast averages between $50-100 apiece. Not a fortune, but not a pittance...and I think some of the value is in the quality, for the time these were remarkably well done castings.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Sometimes I think the best way to handle this stuff is to buy something you like, live with it for a year and take some photos. Then sell it and buy something else.

    When it's time to downsize you'll have a nice set of jpgs to jog your memory of some of the fun things that you enjoyed without having to park a dumpster in front of your house for a week to unload all the junk. I'm really, really going to try to do that on my next move. :)

    At least Matchbox toys are small.
  • lemmerlemmer Member Posts: 2,689
    Sometimes I think the best way to handle this stuff is to buy something you like, live with it for a year and take some photos. Then sell it and buy something else.


    That is what I do with my real cars.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    The only good thing about moving - the purge. Even better if you can end up in the black with your purchases.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    Recently bought another car, one I had wanted for some time - Matchbox version of the 1960 Pontiac convertible, I guess this is supposed to be a Bonneville. This model was introduced early in 1962, and this purple version is among the first made, this color existing for only a short time. This is a sought-after model, mint boxed purple ones usually bring $150-250 on ebay, sometimes a bit more (I paid a bit less, but not a yard sale price). One with grey wheels would be worth maybe $6-800. It's a pretty little car.

    image
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "Prices range from around $85 for a small garage to $2,200 for a large and elaborate diorama"

    A special scale-model home for a special car (Detroit News)
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    Ebay auction to watch...should easily hit 4 figures.

    And I took a few pics of the Japanese made lemkomobile I found last year. It's a nice little model:

    image

    image

    image

    image
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,669
    Or, for $150, you can buy an empty box!?!
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    I've seen empty boxes bring over $100 numerous times. Often an empty box will bring as much as a box and model. Supply and demand - lots of loose mint cars out there, lots of collectors who want boxes for those cars, few empty boxes. It's a weird market, and doesn't seem to have been killed by the recent economy.
  • boomchekboomchek Member Posts: 5,516
    Wow, it's over $1000 now. :surprise:

    2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX

  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    Nice model and the box art is nice too! I imagine this model is scarce.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,026
    Nice little car! I always thought the square headlights made those '75 and '76 Caddys much sharper than the '73 and '74 models. The Chevy dealer in my hometown also sold Caddy, but they were few and far between. I used to pick up the smaller brochures for Caddy there, and if feeling sneaky, I'd reach into the one salesman's office where the big 'prestige' catalogs, with the tissue paper inside the front cover, were kept!
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    I've seen some experts speculate it could bring 3-4K or maybe more. Crazy.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    It's not easy to find in that color, but shouldn't be more than $50 for a mint one.

    The key on my example is those whitewall tires, which are not standard issue. Apparently they are a custom feature or some kind of unknown special edition.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    The Supply and Demand equation at work---bingo!
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    Wow! My cousin had that Dodge wrecker back in the day. Who would think it would be worth that much?
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,026
    I like the looks of that era ('61-71) Dodge truck. I don't recall that particular Matchbox, though.

    Anybody remember "Lassie" on TV? That era Dodge truck was used throughout. I always remember asking my Dad why it looked like the wheels were going backwards when the truck was moving forwards!
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    Your cousin probably didn't have one with a green cab like that. That's why it is so expensive, rare.

    I remember a Dodge Sweptside on Lassie (the show ran continuously on Nickelodeon in the 80s). Also Fords. And the old man who had a Model T that ran on railroad tracks, I wanted that when I was a little kid!
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    I see. I had to go back to see the difference. He probably had the yellow cab with the green body that's only worth around $16 per the other wreckers offered.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    The normal wrecker is extremely common. I guess that makes the rare one even more special.
  • boomchekboomchek Member Posts: 5,516
    Wow that's crazy money for a toy.

    2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    Here's a cute little piece I found lately. Visited a local collector who is clearing out a massive model railroader estate. Bought a couple Matchbox out of the lot, and examined piles of neat vintage plastic buildings - I would have taken a lot of them off his hands, but I just don't have the room nor the real interest. However, he gave me this 60s vintage HO scale service station, no doubt of West German origin. Perfect for some of my HO scale fintails:

    image
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    image

    Check this out - a lithographed tin Mercedes with a miniature Telefunken radio!
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    image

    This "remote control" fintail appears to match the color of your ride!
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    I have a tin fintail like the one with the radio, made by Bandai in the early 60s.

    The remote control model is by GAMA (German), I believe. That one looks like my color, indeed. Nice.

    Dinky made a fintail in something close to my color, too:

    image
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Someone is dumping a big lot of them in the UP on craigslist. No idea if any are pre war or otherwise collectible.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    Looks mostly postwar, some 1930s material. Always be leery when a seller proudly claims to be using material from a 2004 collectors guide - they probably aren't connected to market realities.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I figured the $7,000 book value was way pie in the sky. Otherwise, they'd eBay them.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    edited September 2012
    Ebay is generally the best place to determine collectibles values (via sold listings - not wacky "buy it now" dreamers). I suspect it is a collection worth a maybe half that price there, at most.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    From AutoWeek...

    By: Jake Lingeman on 10/23/2012

    "If you’ve ever wanted to get your hands on a World War II-era Daimler-Benz DB10 12-ton Prime mover, the Auctions America event on Dec. 8 may be your only chance.

    The auction house is concluding its 2012 season by helping the National Military History Center in Auburn, Ind., sell more than 80 vintage military vehicles and more than 100 pieces of war memorabilia.

    'This is truly an exceptional opportunity for collectors of both vehicles and military hardware to acquire many one-of-a-kind lots and prototypes,' says Donnie Gould, Auctions America president. 'The museum items are not relics; they tell not only the American story in both war and peace, but also the histories of Germany, France and Britain.'

    The DB10 is a half-track, meaning it has regular wheels in front to steer and tank treads in back for torque and grip. This particular vehicle currently has no engine but specifications call for a Maybach V12 gasoline engine. It doesn’t come equipped with any arms either, but could be fitted with a 7.92-mm MG34 or MG42 machine guns when the zombies come calling. The 12-ton half-tracks started production in 1935 and kept rolling until 1945. Their main purpose was to move a large variety of artillery in service with the German army.

    A 1943 Chevrolet C60L CMP 4x4 General Service truck will also cross the block in Indiana. It has a 216-cubic-inch I6 making 85 hp. It has a four-speed transmission with one reverse gear. The C60Ls and similar models built by Ford accounted almost a quarter of the trucks built in Canada during WWII. This is a three-ton model that features a cab with a reverse slope windshield and embedded headlights. Several body types were produced including ambulance, gas and water tanker, dental clinic and general cargo, as displayed.

    In addition to the heavy machinery, the auction will also offer a selection of motorcycles, including this 1937 Victoria KR9. The German army-gray cycle has a 15-hp, two-cylinder gasoline engine mated to a four-speed, hand-change gearbox. Top speed is about 65 mph. These bikes weren’t purpose-built military vehicles. Most were purchased for service from civilian stocks. It’s mainly for paved-road use, the lack of rear suspension and suspiciously low ground clearance make it more a transport bike than a warzone tool.

    Tickets to the one-day auction are available for $10 per person for the preview day on Friday, Dec. 7, and auction day on Saturday, Dec. 8, which will allow visitors to access the museum. All the proceeds from admissions for both days will go directly to the National Military History Center, which is currently looking for funds to shore up its finances and create more room to better display military items."
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    I bought a copy of this DVD at the MB Museum. - yes, a fintail documentary. I had a copy of this back in the 90s made from PAL to NTSC VHS, but lost it. I now have a region free DVD player, can't wait to watch it again.

    Also found a fintail book at Sinsheim, and bought 9 boxed HO scale toy cars from about 20 years ago, at a flea market in Austria for EUR 2 each.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    My European finds - nothing too hot. Found an assortment of vintage Matchbox at a flea market in Liechtenstein, but the crazy seller wanted CHF 75 apiece for them, or roughly double ebay prices. No sale.

    Went to a flea market in Austria and bought these HO cars for EUR 2 apiece, all are early 90s vintage, tractor a little newer:

    image

    And the cool fintail DVD and book, nice souvenirs:

    image
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    I just saw the Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, MI is closing at the end of the year. A lot of automobile museums seem to be shutting. I guess it's the economy and the rising costs of operations and insurance these days. Very Sad!
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Looks like Chrysler is going take it over but just open it for special occasions. (press release)

    Roadside attraction kind of stuff is suffering all over. Lots of competition for entertainment dollars.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    Yeah, I think you're right. At least Arizona still preserves an original section of the old Route 66. If people that can remember those traveling days, they probably best take a drive on it before it vanishes too.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited November 2012
    I need to dedicate some extra time when I'm over by the Alberta Village Museum and Ford Historic Sawmill. Driven by it a half dozen times now. Gotta be more entertaining that the Giant Nickel or largest fiberglass bass/walleye/goose statute.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    The museums probably just need to be maker-owned and then managed better.

    The big German name museums are huge tourist draws.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    Hadn't heard of that place. The original Henry Ford was certainly a man of some unique ideology and contrasts. Sometimes I wonder if he and the Deuce were similar in anything???
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,026
    a '62 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk motorized model. I've never seen one.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/181055520036?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619

    I'd have to paint that yellow interior. ;)

    I always wished Danbury or Fairfield Mint would do a Gran Turismo Hawk. Like the real car, you'd think they'd be halfway there for tooling since there's a beautiful '57 Golden Hawk 1/24 scale model out there.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    image
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    I've never seen one of those. Odd, very Japanese, reminds me of a period Bandai creation, but I don't think they made kits at the time.

    Looks like the same company made a few other American cars

    Speaking of Bandai, they made a nice Avanti:

    image
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,026
    I think there's a guy in the S.D.C. who either makes those GT Hawk metal models by hand or imports them from somewhere. They're astronomically expensive. I do like the Rose Mist one in your pic.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,026
    That Avanti looks pretty nice for the scale...except for that light blue with red interior. ;)
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I like the blue and red combo. I've even seen sedans painted that way, with blue on the bottom and a dark red top and, while unconventional, actually works on the right car.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    edited January 2013
Sign In or Register to comment.