A different kind of collectors show

On Sunday, while I was out in Colorado closing on our new home in Thornton and spending a couple of days with Richard Knaack, I made a visit to the Toy & Doll Supershow at the National Western Hall of Education in Denver. It has already been a great trip, made even better by getting to stay with Richard. There is something pretty special about sleeping just 10 feet away from his pristine collection of top-tier models.

Unlike the typical model car show, the Supershow drew a much wider variety of collectors, and that was part of the fun. I went in knowing I probably would not see many scale model cars, but I also knew I would enjoy seeing the many different things people are passionate about collecting.

The show floor was packed with all kinds of treasures. There were Barbies, Lego sets, dolls, vinyl records, posters, radios, tinplate toys, Star Wars action figures, board games, and much more. It was fun to walk through the many stalls and take in all the different ways people enjoy the hunt for something they do not yet have.

What stood out most was the diversity of the crowd. There were kids, teens, couples, and collectors in all kinds of memorable outfits, including a mother-daughter pair dressed like the dolls they were collecting. It was a very different atmosphere from the Chicago model show, where the crowd tends to be made up of very serious, intense older guys.

I also had the chance to meet up with Christian Braun, who had several tables filled with diecast and white metal models. Christian will be featured in an upcoming Off the Shelf segment, but on this visit, I picked up a Dugu Duesenberg that caught my eye. He also gave me an M2 hobbydb logo van.

All in all, it was a fun couple of hours spent appreciating the collecting hobby and seeing what other people enjoy.