Every year, toy aisles and dump bins fill with the new line of Hot Wheels. The avid collectors, and more than a few hoarders, pillage the pegs for the coveted new cars, perhaps hoping to turn a quick profit thanks to the perceived need to "have it now."

That's fine for them. It's not my style. I'm more of an old-school collector. While I do still purchase the occasional new model, I'm not bent on completing an entire collection of every model from each year. I was fortunate to grow up when Hot Wheels were my favorite toys to play with and not collector pieces. Without so much as a cringe, I can even bear to see my son open up a new Hot Wheels blister pack and actually play with the car! I'm sure many of you reading this are in the same age range as I am. You'll read this and think, "Duh. I know. Thanks for sharing, Mr. Obvious." And that's fine. But I'm guessing a few of you are younger collectors who are looking into the older cars and maybe wondering how to approach collecting them.

I'll admit, I'm more than a little jaded when it comes to the new stuff. After all, I haul toys from a Mattel distribution center to the distribution centers of all the major box stores. How rare can that "hard to find" item be when I've got a whole truck filled with them? If you want a certain newer item bad enough, wait. Heck, a couple years ago, a Treasure Hunt would automatically bring in $10 or $20 on eBay. That's a pretty nifty turn-around. But today, I can bid on those same THs for $5. Why? They've been around. They aren't this year's releases. So, if I bought that TH two years ago for $10 and sold it today for $5, I'm not making a very smart investment choice in the long run.

But the original Hot Wheels don't suffer from that fluctuation. And that's why, eventually, a lot of Hot Wheels collectors mature from peg pillagers to vintage collectors.

But, how does one start?

Don't worry. Anyone can do it. The hardest part is being able to say, "I can wait."

Let me give you a "for instance." A few years back, I was upgrading my childhood collection. That is to say, I was selling my own toys and buying better-kept versions. I wanted to upgrade my blackwall Paddy Wagon to a redline (in this case, I kept my BW version as well). It seemed as if I couldn't get a redline Paddy Wagon for under $20 to $25. I was putting in bids on three different auctions. My aggressive bidding, coupled with those I was bidding against, was creating a "demand" that upped prices accross the entire board of Paddy Wagons. I wound up winning all three. I kept two and resold the third at a loss. Had I been smart enough to wait it out for a couple weeks, the demand would have subsided and I could have gotten a similar piece for half the price. Funny thing...there are still Paddy Wagons on eBay to this day...and they aren't going anywhere near what I bid. Even if I did decide to sell my other two Paddy Wagons, I would probably never recoup my investment. I have learned that patience pays the hard way.

So the first rule to redline collecting is to realize that in most instances you don't have to jump on a piece just because you can get it at or near book value. You can wait and probably secure the same thing for even less. In fact, if you look at "book value" and compare that to what certain Hot Wheels actually bring, you will notice that most generally go for 20 to 33% of their so-called value. Remember this: a thing is only as valuable as what someone will pay for it, regardless of what some book says.

Now, I also doubt if you're just starting to collect redlines, that you're much in the market for near-mint, pink Olds 442s or rear-loading Beach Bombs. What should you start looking for?

I suggest you break into the redline game with the ubiquitous Lola GT70s and Splittin' Images. You can get really nice "keepers" for relatively little expense. Realize, they aren't going to make you a lot of return on your investment, especially short-term. But if you're collecting redlines to collect redlines, then they are nice starter pieces. Deoras (sans boards) and Fleetsides run in a bit higher, yet affordable, range as do several other models. Eventually you'll work up to Custom Camaros (start with the blue ones with grey interiors), Mustangs, Ford Coupes, Mighty Mavericks and Seasiders. Vigilance is the key. Keep your eye on what the general going price is for certain castings, even if they are out of your current price range. That way, when you do enter the fray on the more-sought-after models, you have an idea what to expect and where the "bargain" line becomes the "walk away" line.

NOTE: If you see a Deora with both boards (one orange, one yellow), a Seasider with its boat, or even a Mighty Maverick with it's humongous spoiler, be absolutely sure these aren't reproduction parts before you pay original equipment prices! Familiarity with the original vs. the reproduction is key. If you are a truly serious collector, I suggest you acquire the reproduction pieces just so you can be familiar with them and compare them to the real McCoy. There are some unscrupulous sellers who don't inform the buyer that these vehicles are sporting reproduction pieces. Also, some resellers may not be aware that the item the purchased for a turn-around sale isn't 100% original. 

In 1973 Mattel abandoned the spectraflame paint for opaque enamel. The cars that year did not have tampos. Still, these spartan releases command high prices because of their scarcity. In 1974, Mattel reinvigorated their line with the Flying Colors models. This then moved into the Super Chromes line around 1976 and 1977. About the same time, the wheels went from redlines to blackwalls. There are some rarities in that mix, too. Check out the prices on white Mustang Stockers, green Street Snorters (new name for Mighty Mavericks), and the orange VW Bugs with stripes rather than the bug tampo. While you're at it...keep an eye out for the ultra-rare black T-Totaller or Show Hoss II with redlines. There are plenty more gems in the enamel redline crowd to keep the collector happily searching for a lifetime.

Now, how do you make money off redlines while building your own collection? It's not hard, but there is one very key thing to remember: you have to include your shipping charges in the cost analysis of any piece you plan on reselling, while at the same time, what the potential buyer pays in shipping doesn't go into the equation at all. In layman's terms, you win a Hot Wheels auction for $10 with a $5 shipping fee. That car cost you $15. If you can't turn around and sell that car for, say, $20, what was the point? After all, you've got to pay a seller's fee on the auction, too. When dealing with redlines, an immediate, turn-around sale is rarely profitable.

There are two instances where you have the potential to make money. The first is the person who doesn't know what they have and doesn't bother to research Hot Wheels. Yeah, yeah, yeah...there are loads of people who say, "I don't know anything about these toys." Some of them I'll second that motion. Others seem to be playing the "innocent seller" game to get hawks to bid on their items. However, there are those who are truly unaware of what they have and what they are doing and they put up a rare item for a ridiculously low "Buy It Now" price. That makes for a tidy turn-around profit, provided it's not a piece you want for your own collection. Even if you do add that piece to your collection, it may allow you to sell a lesser, "filler" piece and recoup your investment. If your filler is nice enough, you may even sell it for more than you just bought the better item for. I won a 1974 VW Bug with the alternate beetle stripe tampo for $50 by watching the new "Buy It Now" listings. A mint specimen goes for $400. I'd say the condition of the one I bid on was at least in the $100 to $150 range...and I grade ultra-conservatively.

The second way to make money on the turn-around sale is to buy combined lots of Hot Wheels. I did a search on Neet Streeter back in the day. It turned up a bevy of single auctions as well as several lot auctions. One of the lot auctions had a nice Neet Streeter and three beaters. The auction price didn't go very high. I'm guessing that the beaters overshadowed the one nice car. I ended up getting the lot of cars for around $6 plus shipping. At the time, Neet Streeters in similar condition were going for $30+ solo. So I got a bargain on the car that went into my collection. I then turned around and auctioned the other cars as a lot and sold them for $5. I'm still down $1 + shipping on that deal, but I've added a nice Hot Wheels to my collection, so it was worth it. However, if I were a true seller, and abandoned my personal collection, I would have turned around and sold that Neet Streeter as a single. Then I would have immediately been up about $25.

Over time, if you continue to buy and sell Hot Wheels seriously as a profit-making endeavor, you will start buying bigger and bigger lots and eventually entire collections. That's when you will finally realize your profit potential from this "hobbusiness."

Finally, words of caution. Make sure that older redlines advertised as "mint" or "minty" have not been reconditioned. This is especially true if they are on a card. Blisters can be removed from the cards, cars put in them, and the blisters reglued on. I haven't heard of this so much lately, but I know it has happened in the past. Many collectors wouldn't think of opening a sealed blister from the late '60s, so the restoration of the car inside won't be as easily detected. Don't buy a re-release that has been advertised as an original. This is problematic with the "Vintage" re-releases from the 1990s. Those cars are stamped with the Hot Wheels flame logo and the word "Vintage" on the base.

Read every word on an auction page. Know the differences between the original castings and the remakes. This is especially true with the 1982 Custom Camaro compared to the original. Another example: back in 2003 or so, when Mattel ran the first 4 car "Redline" series, I saw a couple of those being auctioned as 1969 originals "MOC"---even though the cards were the modern style. I notified the only bidder on those auctions that these were recent releases, and he still paid $10 each plus shipping. These were the same cars hanging on pegs for $1 at the local store.

More recently, the Classics series of cars have begun to find their way into the "Vintage Redline" category. Yeah, yeah, the base says 1968, but this car was actually released in 2007. No, those modern 5-spoke wheels aren't "deep dish," either. Ack....

Another time I was bidding on a redline, and one of the other bidders retracted. Out of sheer good will, that bidder contacted me and said the car was being misrepresented, that it was a "Vintage" series and not an original. I contacted the seller and he confirmed this (I believe he honestly did not know the difference). There was no picture of the base on the auction. I also retracted my bid. I guess the moral of that story is always ask for a clear picture of the car's base. The other moral is, if you realize something is screwy and retract your bid, let the other bidders know why.

Remember that the original toys are 40 years old...they aren't going to be perfect. Therefore, if a car appears to be too good to be true, make sure you see a picture of the base so you can check the rivets and any lettering that verifies the car's era. Look closely at the wheels to make sure they aren't retouched.

Finally, on any high-dollar car, make sure the seller has a return policy. With experience, once you have the piece in hand, you can easily tell if it's been "cracked" (body removed from the base), repainted, or if some of the parts are reproductions. If the auction page disclosed this and you missed it, don't blame the seller. But if the car was misrepresented, you need to be sure you aren't stuck with it.

In the end, here's what you should keep in mind about buying and selling redlines:

---Be informed...buy a collectors guide or two;

---Be wary of value;

---Be focused...whether collecting, reselling, or a mix of both;

---Be patient.

Good luck, have fun, and kick butt.