My Ultimate Collection

This is kind of a long  and a little strange story with lots of pics, so I do hope ya all enjoy it. 😀 

This is my original Lesney/Matchbox collection I started way back in 1960, I was almost 6 years old. My grandma bought me my first ever 1/64th VW Beetle that I fell head over heals in love with and been hooked ever since. She kept buying them for me over the years and I earned a little money cutting her grass and drying dishes and other little jobs for her.  She would never let me take them home so I would have something to play with when I visited for the weekend. I got my first car and driver license around 1971 and the visits grew less and less. She passed away suddenly in 1975 and my grandpa lived in the ole' house until about 1995. He remarried and ask me to help him update and clean out the ole' house which I did. I worked there for about two weeks laying new carpet, vinyl, and tile floors, painting and cleaning out the basement. The stairway came down about the center of one end of the basement and grandpa had boxed in the stairs with some thin plywood for a storage of Christmas stuff. When all was about done I was taking one last check and noticed a dark green piece of plastic sticking out from under the riser of the bottom step. I didn't think anything of it at first, so I packed my tools and was about to leave. Something told me to go back and get whatever it was way back under those stairs out, and I did. It was dark and spooky way back under there and all I could feel was a big box, kind of heavy, as I dragged it out. There was my whole collection all neatly and securely packed in trash bags and smaller boxes. A corner of one of the dark green trash bags was what I saw sticking out from under that step. Sometime between 1971 and 1975 she had packed every piece nice and neat. I could not believe my eyes and I was in total shock and speechless. Once I got them home and sorted out and cleaned up, here is a good portion of this massive collection I have photographed so far, and I will never part with for love or money!!!

May God bless that wonderful lady. I have added a few newer ones since then also...

These last 6 pieces here were given to me by my great uncle a year or so later, about 1961. He said he bought them in 1954, the year I was born. He made me promise to take good care of them, which I did. I wish he was still here so I could show him I did take care of them and still have them. He was a good man and passed away in 1969.

It's really funny the memories that most of these cars possess. I can almost remember what I did to earn the money to buy that certain one, or who bought this one or that one for me for birthdays, Christmas, or just being good boy days. Even more funny I can't remember where I put the car keys yesterday...LOL... I am very proud of and do sincerely cherish this collection!!!