Going, Going, GONE! where all those collections end up...

Going, Going, GONE! Where some collections end up...

Sat Jun 01, 2013

by Mark Macreading

EBay has shown us all just how much die-cast was produced in the 1990s and early 2000s. Runs of 10,000-plus models were common with various models from the "Mints" numbering 10 times that. Another thing eBay has shown collectors, is just how "unlimited" those "Limited Edition" models were that you bought back in the 1990s.

This is obvious by the prices they are now bringing. Quite a few who thought buying these collectibles back in the 1990s was an investment for the future have had the biggest reality check of them all. I also see that most people trying to get rid of large collections do not have the time or patience to put it all on eBay. The entire spectrum of this hobby has changed and to make a living at it, toy dealers have also had to change. Hence what this story is about.

Larry Warfel was originally from the Lancaster section of Pennsylvania. Lancaster was the epicenter of the die-cast truck-collecting hobby. So needless to say that when the secretary of the local Teamsters gave Larry a Motor Freight Express Winross model he was immediately hooked. Larry at that time worked for the Armstrong Company and at one point was a volunteer firefighter. Winross fever was spreading across the Lancaster area with hundreds of local businesses having trucks made. Winross trucks were rapidly becoming big business in Pennsylvania. [Subscribe to Toy Trucker & Contractor and read the rest of this article.]