When Treasure Finds You...

Each post here at Stu's Attic ends with the encouraging words "Keep searching for treasure!" It simply means to keep your eyes peeled and hopefully you'll find some neat stuff! Well, sometimes that stuff finds you through no skill of your own. Case in point...

This weekend, a good friend texted me about an estate sale that featured some Hot Wheels still in blister packs. As it turned out he had actually bought a beautiful Hot Wheels Elite 1/18 scale 1947 Ferrari. I had some chores to do, but my wife and I got there on the last day, right when everything went to 50% off.

At first I didn't see any cars, but then I found a few in a box. I didn't need the one carded car that was still there, but there were a couple of Matchbox Models of Yesteryear and a Corgi Jr. that looked nice. I picked them up for fifty cents each. My wife got her own treasures and we headed home.

When I got home I looked at the cars closer. Here they are:

When I flipped them over, I found that I actually had three different companies' cars. The Lotus was, indeed, a Corgi Jr. The green Bentley was a Matchbox Models of Yesteryear. However, I had never heard of the maker of the silver MG. It is marked thusly:

JEM Metal Minatures? I had never heard of them. So, I did a little Googling (and eBay looking) and was blown away!

First of all, this car (which doesn't even roll, by the way) is NOT considered a "toy," but rather a museum quality miniature. A couple of places say "not for people under 14 years of age." It is hand made out of high quality white metal and hand painted. Even though it is missing its steering wheel, it is miles above any of my other cars in rarity and value.

Upon closer inspection, I could see that I have something really special. The detailing is incredible. Here are some other pictures...

And I just happened to buy it. I even thought about not buying it. I didn't even correctly identify it until I got home.

The moral of this story is this- in collecting, buy what you like. Even if it's no big deal, you'll still have something you enjoy...And sometimes, just like that blind squirrel, you'll find an acorn!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!