$400,000 for Matchbox Toy Collection

[Mark Gregory]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/cars/article-7869547/Briton-sells-Matchbox-toy-car-collection-staggering-300-000.html

 

The £300,000 toy car collection: British collector sells haul of 3,000 Matchbox models accumulated over 60 years for huge sum

• Simon Hope, 68, had been collecting the 1:75-scale model cars from a young age
• Almost 3,000 toy cars were in pristine condition and in their original packaging 
• His haul of miniature motors was sold across three vintage toy auctions
• The combined premium paid for the collection was in excess of £300,000
• 

[TerryB]

Wow!  That’s crazy.  I never had Matchbox as a kid but enough people must have to create that type of demand for his collection.

[junkyardjeff]

They were my first small diecast cars when I was a kid and still have some of my original ones and have since found all that I had and the ones that I wanted and never got,I still collect them as they are bringing out some neat ones.

[72caddy]

I started collecting these about 30 years ago when you had only a handful of people dealing with them. Managed to get one of every casting of the first series (Lesney - up to 69). Back then color variations were rare and typically only happened when they ran out of paint! I have a few color variations but stopped collection no once I had each model. eBay helped round out the collection when I needed about 100+ . Total of 384 if memory serves...all in display cases, in the garage...

Edited February 6, 2020 by 72caddy (see edit history)

[TerryB]

I am disabled now and no longer can work on real cars so working on models / miniatures of the real thing has been a good fill in.  Between Dinky, Corgi and the original matchbox cars I have had quite an education in non US model cars.  I just bought new tires for some Dinky toys on eBay to put on some I’m working on.  It’s nice when 4 new tires only cost about $6!