ILLINOIS SPOTLIGHT: Collectors reveal origins and driving forces behind their ...
CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. — The reasons people collect vary almost as widely as the objects they gather.
Some collections start accidentally, with a trinket purchased at a souvenir shop, others with a gift. Some grow out of a fascination with a specific topic, maybe a superhero, movie or barnyard animal.
For some, the hobby is about the thrill of the hunt, the search for the piece that will make the collection complete. With others, each piece is a portal to another time or place, which can be visited again and again.
McHenry County is full of collectors, a fact that could be seen in travels around Cary, McHenry and Woodstock this month.
The following is an introduction to just a few resident collectors and a peek at the objects of their fancy:
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David Green collects Hot Wheels, die cast cars, model car kits and NASCAR memorabilia. In the basement of his McHenry home, Green estimates he has 400,000 toy and model cars.
He began picking up Hot Wheels in 1968, the year the toys debuted, and in 1971 started a collection for his nephew.
When his own children came along, Green started collections for them, too, ballooning his personal treasure trove along the way.
A true collector in the obsessive sense, when it comes to the Hot Wheels, Green must have every model made every year in as many of the variant paint colors and wheel treatments as possible.
He searches out special editions, too, and sometimes buys multiples of the same car if they are particularly "cool."
"That way I can open one up and play with it," Green said with a boyish gleam in his blue eyes.
Green's fascination with everything automotive, however, predates Hot Wheels.
"My mom told me the story of when I was real little," he said. "I was 2 years old and I wandered out of our apartment in Detroit and walked a mile to this toy store."
Green's family had been at the shop the day before to buy a gift for a friend, he said. That's when he saw a model car in the window and became fixated.
The next day, at the first opportunity, Green toddled himself back to the toy shop, alone.
Fortunately, he made it safely and the shop owner remembered where little David Green belonged.
Every birthday and Christmas since has come with toy and model cars.
Today, Green's collection is massive and fascinating, not only for its size but for its variety.
The collection includes more than a dozen dealer promotion cars from the 1950s. These are small replicas of the vehicles dealerships sold and were used to help customers choose which color car to order.
Wooden Toy Wheels - News
David Green collects Hot Wheels, die cast cars, model car kits and NASCAR memorabilia. In the basement of his McHenry home, Green estimates he has 400000 toy and model cars. He began picking up Hot Wheels in 1968, the year the toys debuted,
He had a friend make a thousand toy balloons, then took out newspaper ads announcing that the balloons would be loosed over the city, fifty containing numbered tags that could be exchanged for a new bike. The stunt created a sensation.
This year I bought some old toy soldiers, concho button covers, hand carved animals, a small clay pig on a rolling cart with cast iron wheels, some handmade greeting cards, and an Indian pottery vase. I spent less than $20.00 on the entire collection.
I've got a whole new appreciation for professional wooden toy makers! So, this Saturday we're having a party for Sawyer. He's just started rolling big cars (a plastic dump truck, really) back and forth with me, so I'm hoping he'll like this car even
Hot Wheels, the miniature cars made by Mattel Inc (MAT.O), were the favorite for Jarden CEO James Lillie and Peter J Solomon Co Managing Director Marc Cooper. Toys R Us Chief Executive Jerry Storch recalled a wooden carrom board that allowed him to
Compare Prices of toy wheels wooden-Automoblox Mini S9/T9/C9 3 ...
Construction is of smooth wood and plastic. The wood pieces snap together with sturdy plastic plugs and grommets permanently set into the wood. All wheels are removable and the rubber “tire” (like a thick rubberband with traction grooves on the inside) comes off too. The axle for the tire is permanently fixed into the wood. The clear roof easily slides in/out without grommets or snapping but will not fall out if turned upside down. 2. The wheels end up all over the toy room if the toddler is around. As I said, the set includes 4 extra wheels.
Overall it’s a great toy for girl or boy age 3-?. I recommend the minis and like that there are 3 to interchange parts and interact in pretend play. This is the quality I want – and would pay for – in all new or classic toys.
My three year old son and I had been “window shopping” these products online for a few months before his birthday. We gave him several full size and several minis so he could change the parts around. And oh has he!
These cars are solid blocks of wood. The plastic seems durable as nothing has been scratched yet. We have rolled them into the island a few times but have decided not to “crash” them as they are just too nice. They are heirloom quality. No one will be handing these down so go buy your own!!!
My husband and I joked about a commercial where the parents put the children to bed as fast as possible, scrambling around so they can get back to playing with the automoblox. We were cleaning up really!
If you aren’t satisfied with these products, nothing will make you happy.
I could go on and on but I think you should just by a few and find out for yourself. One is definately not enough!
***The reviewer who gave this one star was upset with the seller and put his review in the wrong place. But the AUTOMOBLOX people are top-notch in customer service and will reply to you directly if you contact them via their website. (I only wrote to thank them for such amazing vehicles and to inquire as to when the white one and more minis would be available.)
My son already has a bunch of normal-sized Automoblox cars. He plays with them every day even though he is only 20-months old and they are recommended for 3+ year olds. I find Automoblox to be high quality toys.
I purchased four MINI Automoblox cars (red coupe, blue sedan, green pickup, and green SUV) so we can take them for trips for my boy to play. My son loves MINIs too. If he plays with MINIs inside the car, it is challenging to find small wheels after he takes them off and drops them on the floor.
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