Toy Trucks And Car Collectibles

A guide to collecting toy trucks and cars.

Collecting toy trucks and/or cars can be a fun hobby. To get started you will need to decide what type of vehicle you would like to collect. You could collect toy vehicles by size, make or model. You might want to collect the vehicles manufactured by a particular brand or toy company. You could collect cars that are associated with your favorite television shows or movies. There are toy cars that are associated with your favorite NASCAR racing team and even the wrestling organization has a line of collectibles. The ideas for any type of toy truck or car collection are limitless but I would suggest that you collect something that you will still like in the years to come. Collecting toy cars and trucks, though not always the most lucrative type of collection, can be one of the most enjoyable.

New toy trucks and collectible cars can be found in any toy store or hobby shop in America. They are constantly being produced and there are new ones on the market every day. To find the older, or vintage, models you will have to look at flea markets, rummage sales, garage sales and maybe even in your own basement or attic. Ebay is an excellent source for finding collectible vehicles, especially if there is one in particular that you are having trouble finding on the street, but be prepared to bid for it. Chances are that if you are looking for it, so is somebody else.

Condition is an important factor in deciding on which vehicles to purchase for your vintage collection. As with any thing collectible, the better its condition, the more it is worth. With toy trucks and cars you are not only looking for the condition of the vehicle itself but also the condition of its original packaging. A toy truck or car still in its original packaging is much more valuable than one that has been played with.

Hess toy trucks are highly collectible. They have been producing a new model truck every year at holiday time for the last forty years. The first Hess truck was manufactured in 1964. It was a toy tanker truck that could be filled with water and emptied through its hose. It cost $1.29 and came complete with batteries. Finding one today in mint condition would cost you hundreds of dollars.

Johnny Lightning by the Playing Mantis company has been producing collectible cars for more than ten years. They market and produce a great many cars with themes taken from American pop culture. They have one line called Sixties Sizzle that recreates the muscle cars that were popular back in the sixties.

For the more serious minded Toy truck or car collector, Franklin Mint has some beautiful cars that are exact replicas of the real thing. They cost a lot more then the ones you'll find in the toy stores, but if you are looking for quality items, this is the way to go.

If space is an issue for you, Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars would be the way to go. Both lines have been in business for years and have complete assortments of cars and trucks to choose from. Their small size enables you to keep a huge collection in a small amount of space.

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