Marvellous miniatures at toy fair

MEDIA RELEASE

27 June 2011

Marvellous miniatures at toy fair

Cars are all around us, but in the miniature world the leading names are not Toyota, Ford or GM. Rather it is Matchbox and Hotwheels. Toy cars have been mass produced for more than fifty years. Famous names include Dinky and Corgi. There are now very detailed models made for adults, rather than kids.

Toy and dicast fair organiser Steve Brown said, “The first superfast Matchbox models I remember buying were from Whitcoulls on Lampton Quay. They were 50 cents each and are now worth $25 each!

“I'm holding this fair to try and bring the human element back into the hobby of toy collecting. With the advent of online sites it's become very impersonal. At a toy fair you get to meet other collectors. There's the thrill of the hunt, never knowing what you might find on a table for sale or, often more excitingly, what you might find in the tatty box under the table.

“I want to get the general public out for a look and to stimulate some new interest in the hobby. A lot of people have items stored away in boxes in the garage or back of a cupboard which are just taking up space and which in these tight financial times could be turned into cash. Bring them along to Raroa Intermediate School hall on July 10th 2011 between 11am and 4 pm.

“For me nowadays it's nostalgic value. Not really wanting to grow up. It's a constant in my life. With everything changing around us so fast nowadays, the toys are something that is always the same. They've always been there, have happy memories of a simpler time.

“I hope to meet a lot of new people like me who enjoy collecting for the sake of it and want to humanise the experience. Again getting back to the good old days of collecting where the only way to build your collection was to talk to someone.

Collector Gavin Redman said, “I've always kept part of my childhood collection. About 18 years ago I saw some old models in an antique shop and couldn't resist them. After that the addiction set in and now I have over a thousand toys mainly from the 1953-1982 period”.

Gavin's first model was a Matchbox VW Combi in orange that he still has. He's looking forward to finding new models, meeting collectors and sharing his hobby with the public at the toy and diecast fair.

Wellington Toy and Diecast Fair
Sunday 10 July 2011
11:00am -4:00pm
Raroa Intermediate School | 37 Haumia Street | Johnsonville
Adults $2 | Children $1 | Families $5

Matchbox | Corgi | Dinky | Fun Ho | Hot Wheels | | Railway models | Kitsets

ENDS

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