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Die Cast Toy Cars & Trucks

Models with Sports Team Logos

Toy cars aren't just for kids anymore.

For many years, sports items were limited to cards, jerseys, autographs and items that were directly related to the sport.

Die cast sports items were available with most relating to auto racing. They were naturally a perfect fit to the die cast market that was mostly automobiles to begin with.

Matchbox, Hot Wheels and Corgi collections were already in full swing with a great selection of product and availability, but die cast collectibles in the other major sports like baseball and football were hard to come by.

This was easy to understand because there was no true relation between these sports and motor vehicles.

The beginning of the movement of die cast items from racing into other major sports began in 1989.

The Baltimore Orioles wanted to have a unique promotional giveaway for their fans at one of their games. This gave rise to a Matchbox Model A Ford with the Orioles Logo and year printed on the side. This item, being, unique, was a big hit with fans of all ages.

Die cast cars had now started to become a sport collectible.

Starting in 1990, Model A Ford trucks for all Major League Baseball and NFL teams were available..

Popularity was still unknown so the production run of approximately 10,000 per team was limited to hobby, toy, card and gift stores and was not available to most of the mass retailers.

All of these tucks were officially licensed and were available with the appropriate team colors and logos.

The year of the model was also printed on the door panels. This is what made these trucks a true collector’s item.

Each year the color scheme would change a bit to keep the items fresh. Then the vehicles themselves began to change to enhance the collectibility of the product.

Again, all models had the year printed on them and production remained limited.

Since these were still Matchbox models, these also became a “cross over” collectible to main stream Matchbox model collectors.

The mid 1990’s also brought the addition of a few of the most popular NBA teams.

Then the manufacturer got the license to produce mini Zamboni’s, the machine that cleans the ice surface at all ice rinks. This machine that has an unusual popularity with hockey fans in general.

All NHL collectors now had their own die cast collectible.

Even though it was not a car or truck, the Zamboni was closely identified with the sport and was a huge success with fans.

As with past items, the official colors and logos were employed in the design as well as the year of production.

Die cast collectibles now had a much bigger presence in the sports memorabilia marketplace.

As years passed, other models and styles were added to the line that included tractor trailers and helicopters, to name a few.

The original manufacturer of these items, White Rose, was bought out by Fleer, a bigger company and one established in the sports card market. Fleer added muscle cars, fighter planes and more classic vehicles.

Fleer was then bought out by Upper Deck, Inc. which has continued to enhance the die cast line of products.

Racing fans will always be the biggest die cast sports collector’s.

For this reason, they also have the widest variety of product that ranges in price from a few dollars to limited production vehicles that cost a few hundred dollars.

Also, as in other sports, scale models in all sizes are available to satisfy the needs of all collectors.

Manufacturers such as Winner’s Circle, Revell, and Action (now Motorsports Authentic) also supply the die cast collectibles marketplace.

Race cars are continuously updated to reflect changes in sponsors, drivers, color designs and various promotions, such as movies, that keep the racing die cast collections fresh.

In all, it doesn't matter what sport you enjoy or what driver you follow.

Die cast collectibles are a fun and unique way to follow the sport.

Limited production runs, variety of vehicles and ever changing designs help protect the value of your collection and yet offer the possibility of price appreciation.

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