[kevinmtg]

They had a collectible expo over the weekend. HW's was the main theme, but they had Star Wars, JL, Greenlight (very few), and some older toys.

What amazed me was the tables and tables of T Hunts. They had every T Hunt ever made for sale there. (If you wanted to pay what some people were asking)

They only had 1 JC Pennies Set, (which is all I collect in the hunts, so I was disappointed)

One dealer decided he had enough and sold his entire table for $435.00. (Had about 80 Hunts, Black boxes, RLC cars etc.)

I kept thinking to myself....And these things are supposed to be rare.

I came across 10 White Lightnings. (don't collect those, but picked up a mustang for $7.00 so I couldn't pass it up since I like mustangs.)

I spent a grand total of $57.00

There was 1 Barrett Jackson complete set for sale. That was it. My buddy had a Green Machine on Reserve. (The only one at the show)

I converted some of my Hot Wheels buddies to Greenlight collectors after seeing.

T Hunts - At least 2000 available.
White Lightnings - 10 (Half the time you can't tell if it is actually a White)
Green Machines - 1 (That wasn't even offered for sale to the public)

I am seeing more and more collectors who are having their wheels go cold and starting to turn green.

Feel free to use that in your advertising. GO GREENLIGHTS

 

[gr6120]

What amazed me was the tables and tables of T Hunts. They had every T Hunt ever made for sale there. (If you wanted to pay what some people were asking)

I kept thinking to myself....And these things are supposed to be rare.

I am seeing more and more collectors who are having their wheels go cold and starting to turn green.

Hey Kevin.

As someone who's collected Hot Wheels since 2004 and is now switching to GreenLight (especially Green Machine Mustangs -- I'm a 'stang fan, like you), I would agree with you wholeheartedly on the assessment. I've also widely heard this sentiment from fellow HW collectors. I still love my HW Mustangs (especially the Mach 1, Custom and '68 Mustang castings), but have been slowly trading and selling off most of my other Hunts, variations and other higher-end pieces in favor of getting the GL pieces I want. There quite simply is no comparison in terms of detail and rarity :thumbsup:.

Now, in terms of T-Hunts ... who ever said they were rare ? IMHO, THs are generally over-hyped, over-hoarded and over-valued. And from what people seem to be saying, they're produced in the thousands (perhaps hundreds of thousands). This is evident by amusing displays like the ones you just saw at the collectibles expo -- table after table of sellers with multiples of almost every imaginable TH. Some sellers/scalpers charge ridiculous prices for THs, so those with older, more "common" or less desirable castings eventually find themselves stuck with so many of them that they can't even give them away (lol).

Also, to survey the typical market interest in any particular T-Hunt,just check out the sales cycles for them on eBay. Each time a new one first comes out, a handful of them easily sell for $100+ -- to those with the "gotta have it now" mentality. Of course, in the weeks and months that follow, that same TH drops sharply in price. Unless it's an error or VHTF variation on the TH, it will likely be available at the same time next year (or sooner) in the neighborhood of $5.00-$8.00.

In terms of why some people have as many THs as the sellers you've seen, well, it's no secret that certain individuals have connections at stores that carry HW -- a manager, a stocker or somebody else -- or they simply raid the pallets or stock rooms of stores to get their bounty. Those people typically score hundreds of T-Hunts a year -- partly because they're so abundant. Of course, because of the collectibility and lure of THs with collectors, and the profit to be made on eBay or at toy expos by scalpers, not a whole lot make it to the pegs. It's also the hype that perpetuates the myth of TH rarity. Of course, there are still sellers who buy multiple cases of HW each year, but considering the hundreds of different HW castings and variations that become "peg warmers" each year, it's hard to believe someone would drop $50-$60 per case just to get the possible TH inside.

Anyway, that's my take on the whole thing. I'm sorry if I've offended anyone with this assessment, but that's just the way I see it. I intend to keep building up my GreenLight collection as they produce more castings that I like. There aren't nearly as many GL pieces around as there are HW or even many JL, but that's what I like about GL (despite the fact that it can be frustrating to acquire that elusive chase piece). And when GreenLight makes a chase car, as with their Green Machines, you can be sure it's exactly that -- a "chase" car. Limited production runs on the earlier GMs of 40-50 pieces and runs of 70 pieces of the recent castings -- compare that with the thousands upon thousands of HW T-Hunts out there. It's no accident that GL has been creating such widespread interest with die cast collectors.

Regards,
gr6120

 

[kevinmtg]

I'm going to collect the HW's Master set every year from the RLC, and convention cars. Thats it. I like the fact you can order a whole MCG set at one time. No having to hunt for castings constantly.

 

[gr6120]

I'm going to collect the HW's Master set every year from the RLC, and convention cars. Thats it. I like the fact you can order a whole MCG set at one time. No having to hunt for castings constantly.

That does make sense ... of course, you'd be missing out on all of the repaints and HTF variations that come along -- that is, if you're into that sort of thing .

Regards,
gr6120

 

[kevinmtg]

I have some of those and I have no idea which ones they are, why they were special at the time, or why I bought them.