Collecting Connections: A journey to exchange Rio models and share good company

Yesterday, my wife Julie and I had a fun and memorable day with Skip and Betty Johnson, marking another great chapter in our collecting adventures. Back in March during Chicago Shenanigans, Skip and I were chatting about our favorite models, particularly those that don't hold much dollar value today, like Models of Yesteryear, Solido, and Rio. We struck a deal for Skip to part with his Rio models, with a plan to finalize the trade later in the year.

Fast forward to last week when Skip sent me a photo of all the Rio models he was boxing up for shipping.

He was worried about how UPS might handle them, so he offered to meet me halfway for the exchange. We managed to talk our wives into joining us for a trip to the Wild Mango, a restaurant near Cleveland that was almost exactly halfway between us.

We had a fantastic lunch, shared some laughs, and learned a lot more about Betty’s quilting interests. Skip and I got some knowing smirks about our quirks as collectors, but it was all in good fun. Time flew by, and before we knew it, we were back on the road.

A big thank you to Skip for not only trusting me with his cherished Rios (which he’s been collecting since the '80s) but also for spending over six hours in the car to make sure they made it to me safely. This is just one more reminder of how our hobby connects people who share a love for collecting. What a great day all around!