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Die Cast Sports
Collectibles - Heavy Metal Fun
by: Frank Kush
For many years, collecting
sports items was limited to cards, jerseys, autographs and items that
were directly related to the sport. Die cast sports items were available
with most relating to auto racing. They were naturally a perfect fit to
the die cast market that was mostly automobiles to begin with. Sure,
Matchbox, Hot Wheels and Corgi collections were already in full swing
with a great selection of product and availability, but die cast
collectibles in the other major sports like baseball and football were
hard to come by. This was easy to understand because there was no true
relation between these sports and motor vehicles, right? Wrong!!!
The beginning of the movement for die cast items from racing into the
other major sports began in 1989. The Baltimore Orioles wanted to have a
unique promotional giveaway for their fans at one of their games. They
contacted and did business with a small company in York, PA that many of
us know as White Rose Collectibles. White Rose literally “stepped up to
the plate” and delivered an existing Matchbox Model A Ford with the
Orioles Logo and year printed on the side to given away to fans. This
Oriole item, being so unique, was a big hit with fans of all ages. Die
cast had now started to become a sport collectible.
Starting in 1990, White Rose began to produce these collectible Model A
Ford trucks for all Major League Baseball and NFL teams. Popularity was
still a bit unknown so the production run of approximately 10,000 per
team was limited to hobby, toy, card and gift stores and was not
available to most of the mass retailers. All of these tucks were
officially licensed and were available with the appropriate team colors
and logos. The year of the model, 1990 in this case, was also printed on
the door panels. Printing the year on the vehicles is what made these
trucks a true collector’s item.
Each year the color scheme would change a bit to keep the items fresh.
Then the vehicles themselves began to change to really enhance the
collectibility of the product. Again, all models still had the year
printed on them and production still remained limited. Since these were
still Matchbox models, these also became a “cross over” collectible to
main stream Matchbox collectors. The mid 1990’s brought the addition of
a few of the most popular NBA teams but, there was still nothing for the
hockey collector to this point.
That all changed when White Rose got the license to produce mini
Zamboni’s, the machine that cleans the ice surface at all ice rinks and
a machine that has an unusual popularity with hockey fans in general.
All NHL collectors now had their item! Even though it was not an
official Matchbox item, the Zamboni WAS directly related to the sport
and was a HUGE success with fans. As with past items, the official
colors and logos were employed in the design as well as, the year of
production.
Die cast now had a much bigger presence in the sports collectible
marketplace. As years passed, other models and styles were added to the
line that included tractor trailers, tandem trailers and helicopters, to
name a few. As popularity increased, so did the attention of the bigger
sports companies and White Rose was eventually purchased by Fleer, Inc.
Fleer continued to add to the line to also include muscle cars, fighter
planes and more classic vehicles. A year or so ago, Fleer was bought out
by Upper Deck, Inc. which has continued to enhance the die cast line of
products. Even though the companies change, the vehicles and production
quality continue to improve. All vehicle designs continue to change from
year to year but many still have the year printed on them. They all
still have a limited production runs to further protect their
collectibility.
Racing fans will always be the biggest die cast sports collector’s. For
this reason, they also have the widest variety of product that ranges in
price from a few dollars to limited production vehicles that cost a few
hundred dollars. Also, as in other sports, scale models in all sizes are
available to satisfy the needs of all collectors. Manufacturers such as
Winner’s Circle, Revell, and Action (now Motorsports Authentic) keep
collectors of all ages and budgets happy. Race cars are continuously
updated to reflect changes in sponsors, drivers, color designs and
various promotions, such as movies, that keep the racing die cast
collections fresh.
In all, it doesn’t matter what sport you enjoy or what driver you
follow. Die cast collectibles are a fun and unique way to display your
support. Limited production runs, variety of vehicles and ever changing
designs help protect the value of your collection and yet offer a choice
that keeps every collector happy. I doesn’t matter if you are in the
winners circle or hoisting a World Series trophy, die cast collectibles
are heavy metal fun!!!
About The Author
Frank Kush
http://www.grandstandcollectibles.com |
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