Matchbox toys are on fire with collectors

The children of the 1960s are fuelling a boom in collectable model cars, says Chris Carter.

Dinky toys for auction © Nigel Roddis/Getty Images
Rarity, quality and condition are the key
(Image credit: Dinky toys for auction © Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

The first miniature Hot Wheels toy cars rolled down their iconic orange racing tracks in May 1968 in the US. They cost 59 cents each, and that year, toymaker Mattel sold 16 million of them. They were, says Zachary Crockett on The Hustle, “America’s hottest new plaything”. Five decades on, “the children of the Sixties are fuelling a small but mighty collectors’ market”.

Bruce Pascal, “a successful commercial real estate executive” by day, is one such enthusiast. “By night, he buys $5,000 Hot Wheels cars on eBay.” The 59-year-old owns a “staggering array of 7,000 rare toy cars that are collectively insured for $1.5m”. He will even chase down former Mattel employees in the quest for ultra-rare prototypes. “I’m like the Antiques Roadshow that shows up to their door,” Pascal tells The Hustle. One former worker broke down in tears when Pascal handed him a cheque for $12,000. “A few forgotten toys turned into a new roof for the man’s house,” says Crockett.

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Chris Carter
Wealth Editor, MoneyWeek

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

You can follow Chris on Instagram.