“We were leaving with nets full of raffia from antique fairs.” How Expensive Is The Hobby For Diecast Car Collectors

As small children we put aside the things we liked. And whom I admired, cared for and never alienated.

Whether we’re talking about cars, phone cards, football player stickers, chocolate egg toys or all kinds of collectibles: from stamps to numismatics.

At first, most of us collected them from play. But with the passing of the years, they then became impressive collections, of hundreds of unique pieces, with great sentimental and financial value. But to have a collection of great value, you must also have significant financial support.

“My wife says I’m crazy because the whole house is full of cars”

Eusebiu is 38 years old and has been collecting model cars for more than two decades.

“I haven’t missed a single car that has come on the market! I bought all the magazines and collections possible. I went to fairs and participated in all kinds of exhibitions to have the cars in my collection. The oldest is from the 80s, a Fiat that my father received from some friends in Italy”, he admits.

Passion knows no age. And Mr. Mihai is 56 years old and collects cars and motorcycles.

“Everything started as a game, then turned into a passion. My wife says I’m crazy because the whole house is full of cars and motorcycles. But once passion is in your blood, it’s hard for it to disappear so easily. I have 259 cars and motorcycles, bought in Romania, Germany, France and Spain. I received many from friends”, says Mihai.

“We used to buy cheap cars at the fair, people wanted to get rid of them”

Libertatea participated in the Model and Toy Collectors Fair. And in the exhibition hall there was a real heaven for enthusiasts: thousands of cars, of all sizes and colors! Brought from abroad, in large cardboard boxes, cleaned with great care and attention.

“The passion is great! There were times when we left with full raffia nets from flea markets. We were spending millions and millions on cars. There you bought them cheaply, because the world was poor and wanted to get rid of them. In the old days there were all kinds of sets, most likely Chinese, with 20 cars in the collection”, Vlad shares with us from his passion.

He was born in Constanța, but he moved to Bucharest many years ago. “When I was a frantic collector, I put half of my salary into cars. Everything suddenly changed one evening when I had nowhere to put them around the house. I had made special shelves… When I had no more room to put any car wheels, I decided to sell them”, says Vlad.

And his passion made him take more than 15,000 euros out of his pocket over the years. But he’s not sorry, because he grew up more than any other child does.

In the meantime I have recovered most of the money, but I am still in the red. Without money you cannot buy any iron Trabant for your collection.

Vlad, car collector:

Thousands of lei are also taken out of the pocket on collector cars

Prices vary in the Collector’s Fair. “The stars are expensive, and depending on the brand and age, they can end up costing up to a thousand lei. When I was young, I used to make my damblau…”, an enthusiast of four-wheeled models tells us.

The cheapest models, small model cars are sold for 25 lei. But they are Chinese, not produced at some reputable hobbyist factory. The bigger the car, the higher the price.

And vintage cars are the most expensive, but also the most sought after. Not many people can be proud to have them in their personal collection. And there are even fewer who sell them, although the demand is very high.

“What tricky cars there were in interwar Romania. Jewelry on four wheels. It’s a pity that such models were not made in Romania. I’m sure the world would have bought it. Compared to Italy or Germany, where there was a craze with collector cars. In Romania, the old models of cars were released on the market recently and all the stocks were sold out instantly”, Mr. Mihai points out.

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