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1:64 Scale & Smaller
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Topic starter
13/09/2024 10:07 am
Back in the late 50s and early 60s, I would visit my grandparents quite often on weekends and school vacations. My grandma did allot of shopping at a local Woolworths department store. At about 5 years old I was impressed to the max with their "AMAZING" toy isle. I can still clearly remember their fantastic and huge display of the now vintage Lesney/Matchbox and Corgi cars and trucks. My grandma began buying these little cars for me and continued for several years, but would never let me take them home, so I would have them to play with when I visited. I know I mist have put a million scale miles on some of those cars crawling around her living room, kitchen, and flowerbeds. Including the knees of my pants. Well over 10 years the collection grew quite large. When I turned 16 and got my drivers license in 1971, I didn't visit my grandparents near as much anymore. I could now drive my friends around in my new 1968 Mustang GT.
At some point before 1975, my grandma had neatly neatly and securely packed my huge collection and put it into storage under her basement stairs. My grandma passed away suddenly in late January of 1975. My grandpa remained living in the home until 1995 until he remarried. He ask me if I would help get the old home in condition for the sales market, which I spent two weeks cleaning, repairing, and updating. On my last inspection before turning over the keys, I noticed a dark green piece of plastic sticking out between the bottom stair riser and the floor. I didn't pay much attention to it and began to lock up and leave. As I was backing out of the driveway, I thought I had beter check out that piece of plastic, so I went back in and did. I did not want to crawl back under those dark and cramped area of those lower stairs at all. The stairs were completely enclosed with thin plywood with a small door on the higher side where my grandma stored all of her holiday decorations. I knew there would be cob webs and spiders way back under there, and I have a massive fear of spiders. I muscled up the courage to crawl back there and pull out this huge box wrapped in green trash bags and opened it up. There was my entire collection of the Matchbox and Corgi cars with all the accessories so well and neatly packed. I was shocked and amazed. I still have this whole collection that I will never part with. I remember the first one she bought me was the VW Beetle. At that time I thought this was the coolest toy ever. You could raise the deck lid and see the engine.
This is what began my diecast addiction. I continued adding to the collection after this and added some of my favorite newer Matchbox cars.
Some of my ultimate and vintage cherished cars
Like I have said many, many times, I do 💖LOVE💖🥰 everything pertaining to this great hobby!!!
I hope ya all enjoyed this post of my "Ultimate Collection"...
You may copy and paste these links in your URL to learn a little more about me...
Collector of the month:
https://diecastsociety.com/gallery-view/steve-stangfreak-mason-june-2019/
My collection on TV:
https://youtu.be/RmdWFGAm84E
My collection 2024 update
https://youtu.be/OUn1v-vksos
13/09/2024 12:27 pm
Very nice collection and very nice story. Thanks for sharing.
Ed Davis
Inverness, Illinois, USA
Jack Dodds reacted
13/09/2024 12:57 pm
Wow, that is a wonderful remembrance and experience from long ago ! Your grandparents certainly loved you and clearly kept you and your interests in mind.
Having items and stories from one's history and recalling people and objects from the past makes a great connection that definitely stretches across time and space.
Topic starter
13/09/2024 1:35 pm
Wow, that is a wonderful remembrance and experience from long ago ! Your grandparents certainly loved you and clearly kept you and your interests in mind.
Having items and stories from one's history and recalling people and objects from the past makes a great connection that definitely stretches across time and space.
Yes Mike, it really sure does. It's funny how so many of these old little cars can spark a memory, 40 to 50 years ago that you thought had been deleted from your mind. Like this old Pontiac and trailer. I remember clearing an area in grandma's flower bed for a camp ground with twigs and popsicle sticks, and finding a piece of bark from a tree to make a garage for the car one day 45 years or so ago. And for the boat, digging a hole in grandma's flower bed and pouring glasses of water in it to float the boat. But the water kept soaking into the dirt...LOL
Some of them I can remember reaching up to the display at Woolworths to get the boxed car I wanted. A few have red dots of fingernail polish that a little friend's mother marked so when we played together our cars wouldn't get mixed up. I remember that little friend and his mother well. Those cases are full of old, fond childhood memories, but why can't I remember where I put the car keys last night, or what I had for dinner...LOL...
You may copy and paste these links in your URL to learn a little more about me...
Collector of the month:
https://diecastsociety.com/gallery-view/steve-stangfreak-mason-june-2019/
My collection on TV:
https://youtu.be/RmdWFGAm84E
My collection 2024 update
https://youtu.be/OUn1v-vksos
13/09/2024 3:23 pm
Those are great recollections of that time long ago. But when we recall them, they come alive again, if only in our mind and our memories ! Time and space seem to disappear and we can be transported back. I still have my (infinity smaller) collection of Matchbox and Schuco automotive toys and they are still treasured.
The Japanese have a folklore legend that you only live twice : once for real and once in your dreams. And you only die twice : once when you pass away and once when it is the last time your name is remembered or spoken on earth.
And yes, it is also the name of an Ian Fleming - James Bond 007 book and movie. (Which also involved some cars, too.)
13/09/2024 5:11 pm
Every young lad should be so lucky to have such a Grandma. In my somewhat similar Matchbox/Dinky story that person was my Mother, God bless her. They truly make such a positive difference.....never forgotten.
Steve Jacobs and Ed Davis reacted
14/09/2024 1:40 am
Steve, great story, it really warmed my heart. I still have many of the 1/25 models I built growing up in the sixties. And I still have the '65 Mustang I bought when I was in college.
Topic starter
14/09/2024 7:00 am
@pete-rovero Thank you Pete. That is one sweet looking Mustang to be proud of...
You may copy and paste these links in your URL to learn a little more about me...
Collector of the month:
https://diecastsociety.com/gallery-view/steve-stangfreak-mason-june-2019/
My collection on TV:
https://youtu.be/RmdWFGAm84E
My collection 2024 update
https://youtu.be/OUn1v-vksos
Pete Rovero reacted
14/09/2024 9:40 am
Nice Mustang. First generation Mustangs are among my favorite American cars. How many miles are on the car?
Ed Davis
Inverness, Illinois, USA
Pete Rovero reacted
14/09/2024 10:31 am
@stangfreak Wonderful memories and an even more wonderful Grandma.
Tony Perrone reacted
14/09/2024 10:33 am
@pete-rovero Beautiful pony Pete. Looks better now than back in the day.
Pete Rovero and Tony Perrone reacted
15/09/2024 12:41 am
@ed-davis I bought it for $500 in 1977 with 103K on the clock. It now has 136K. It was stored for a while, and doesn't get used much, maybe 1000 miles per year.
Steve Jacobs and Ed Davis reacted
15/09/2024 12:52 am
@bob-jackman Thanks Bob. It led a hard life before I bought it. Early Mustangs were so abused after they were 10 years old. They were cheap to buy because Ford made so many of them and a lot of them ended up in the hands of high school kids. I bought mine from a 17-year-old girl, a hand me down from her parent.