Re: Toy Value - restoration Vs. leave orginal...

[Jerry Casper <gremlingts@xxxx>]

Hey Jerry and all you other toy car collectors - I
> have a question
> about the value of toy cars. If you restore an old
> toy car, like say,
> a hotwheels, does it affect the value of the piece?
> Is the toy car
> more valuable 'as is'? Does the toy lose its value
> once altered by
> restoration? Just wonderin' -Lu-


I guess it all depends on the toy AND the
condition. IF it was a total wreck, paint missing, and
only 30 years old, a restoration might be more of a
money-maker and acceptable. If you find a 100-year old
toy car, restoring it will destroy it's value! It all
depends on what it is, and it's "value" to other
collectors. But if it's for you, and you don't want to
get any money out of it, who cares? Like anything,
research is the answer. For an old hotwheels , like
the one my friend Jay gave me ( Hotwheels AMX, '69,
paint mostly gone, missing all 4 wheels ), it wouldn't
hurt to restore it, it's pretty trashed as is, no
marketable value to it. But with new paint job,
wheels, etc, the car body itself is valuable enough to
bring more money ( more than what you paid ro restore
it? Dunno ). I will probably drill out the rivets,
have a "professional" hobbyist painter redo the body,
then put fresh wheels on it off a more "modern"
Hotwheels. I'm not ashamed to do it, it's no good as
is ( right here, right now ), it's not a 100-year old
model. In 70 more years, someone might wanna shoot me
for doing it, but who cares? I won't be around to
listen to them whine. LOL. And I'll have another
good-looking AMX to swoon over NOW. It all depends on
what your goal is for the toy - resale, or for your
total enjoyment? For a Hotwheels car, unless it's a
super-rare original car in at least DECENT condition,
I'd say restore it. No one wants to look at a
paint-worn-off, wobbly-wheeled diecast. Maybe in 70
more years, but not NOW. IF the value isn't here RIGHT
NOW for a really bad condition, then you can't hurt
the value for restoring it, as there is none now. I've
bought Gremlin Grinder's on Ebay for as low as $2,
pretty trashed, paint gone, some minor corrosion, bent
body. Restoring those won't hurt their value, they
have very little right now. One in even fair shape,
just paint chipped up, I won't really touch, and just
leave as is, probably. Only the really bad ones I'll
redo, nothing lost there. 
So, hope that clarifies my position, your's may
vary. If in doubt, research, research, research... :)

Jerry Casper
owner of 200 plus AMC cars...some even full-sized!





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