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True Love: Retired Man Holds Collection of 23,000 Matchbox Cars
Written by: Blake Z. Rong on February 14 2012 5:00 PM
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In the interests of full disclosure, I—like virtually every car enthusiast growing up—had a pretty sizeable Matchbox and Hot Wheels collection as a child. (It’s important to make that distinction, by the way; Matchbox was always the practical European brand, with fire trucks and ambulances to fulfill your miniature cities, while Hot Wheels was all about jumping bright orange tracks in rat-shaped jalopies.) I still have my collection, in fact, and I still add to it today, even long after those around me had the good sense to, say, get jobs and spouses.
I don’t know what that says about 84-year old Joe DiNovo, then, who has the world’s largest Matchbox collection: 23,000 cars fill his basement, top to bottom, collected over the past 50 years. The retired mail carrier used to collect trains, but discovered the miniature four-wheeled world after he sold them alongside his trains at swap meets. He would keep the ones that didn’t sell, and keep buying cases: apparently DiNovo wasn’t a very good salesman, because the cars kept on piling up—and sooner than later, DiNovo had a collection cluttering up his basement.
“I have more in the garage that I can’t put in,” DiNovo said. “There’s no room for anything. I need a bigger house.”
As every man needs a supportive woman behind him, his wife calls the basement of their house “the dungeon,” as DiNovo is down there pretty often rearranging his collection. And he has some impressive cars: many of them are in original Matchbox cases, still in their packaging even 50 years later. One prize in his collection is a VW Microbus, custom-made by the Matchbox company and decked out in two things DiNovo holds dear to his heart: the 52nd anniversary of his marriage, and the Chicago Bears.
“I don’t drink, smoke or womanize, so that’s why I have all this stuff and I’m happy to have it,” said DiNovo. “I really, really enjoy the hobby. I think everybody should have a little hobby.” Some people collect watches, others ride motorcycles, and some crochet—but I’d be a little remiss if I didn’t say that want to grow up to be DiNovo. Now I just need a basement to start.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
Read more: http://blogs.automotive.com/true-lo...-23000-matchbox-cars-79849.html#ixzz1w9XLpXfv
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http://www.mycarforum.com/blog/myautoblog/1936/A-retiree%92s-collection-of-23000-Matchbox-cars/
Written by: Blake Z. Rong on February 14 2012 5:00 PM
In the interests of full disclosure, I—like virtually every car enthusiast growing up—had a pretty sizeable Matchbox and Hot Wheels collection as a child. (It’s important to make that distinction, by the way; Matchbox was always the practical European brand, with fire trucks and ambulances to fulfill your miniature cities, while Hot Wheels was all about jumping bright orange tracks in rat-shaped jalopies.) I still have my collection, in fact, and I still add to it today, even long after those around me had the good sense to, say, get jobs and spouses.
I don’t know what that says about 84-year old Joe DiNovo, then, who has the world’s largest Matchbox collection: 23,000 cars fill his basement, top to bottom, collected over the past 50 years. The retired mail carrier used to collect trains, but discovered the miniature four-wheeled world after he sold them alongside his trains at swap meets. He would keep the ones that didn’t sell, and keep buying cases: apparently DiNovo wasn’t a very good salesman, because the cars kept on piling up—and sooner than later, DiNovo had a collection cluttering up his basement.
“I have more in the garage that I can’t put in,” DiNovo said. “There’s no room for anything. I need a bigger house.”
As every man needs a supportive woman behind him, his wife calls the basement of their house “the dungeon,” as DiNovo is down there pretty often rearranging his collection. And he has some impressive cars: many of them are in original Matchbox cases, still in their packaging even 50 years later. One prize in his collection is a VW Microbus, custom-made by the Matchbox company and decked out in two things DiNovo holds dear to his heart: the 52nd anniversary of his marriage, and the Chicago Bears.
“I don’t drink, smoke or womanize, so that’s why I have all this stuff and I’m happy to have it,” said DiNovo. “I really, really enjoy the hobby. I think everybody should have a little hobby.” Some people collect watches, others ride motorcycles, and some crochet—but I’d be a little remiss if I didn’t say that want to grow up to be DiNovo. Now I just need a basement to start.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
Read more: http://blogs.automotive.com/true-lo...-23000-matchbox-cars-79849.html#ixzz1w9XLpXfv
http://www.mycarforum.com/blog/myautoblog/1936/A-retiree%92s-collection-of-23000-Matchbox-cars/
