# Just missed!! The score of a lifetime



## Dyno (Jan 26, 2009)

Im apologizing in advance for the length of this post.

About 5 years ago, and only a few months before my obsession with H.O. slot cars began I was into 1/24th hardbody drag cars. I was in White Plains NY, and came across a decrepid old hobby shop. I decided to go in and see if they had any 1/24th parts or models to make some hardbodies. As I approached the building, I noticed that the window was duct taped together and the door was rotten. The window was foggy with dirt and grime. I was wondering if the place was even in business. I opened the door and a cat went running by. An older woman appeared that was sitting in a rocker watching TV in the back. I asked her if she had any slot cars. She put her fingers closely together and said, "the little ones". I replied, "no the big ones". She then informed me that she didnt have any of those. As I started to browse, I noticed this place was like a time capsule. It looked like nothing was touched, or cleaned since the 70s or early 80s. There were about 100 model kits on the back wall but none looked newer than the 70s! I noticed a Trans Am model body poking out of a bag on the counter. I picked it up because it was exactly what I was looking for. At this very moment the womans demeanor did a 360 and she told me "DONT TOUCH THAT". I asked her how would I know if I wanted to purchase it if I couldnt actually see it? She then told me that" I REMEMBER YOU, I REMEMBER YOU, GET OUT GET OUUUT!!! I told her that I had never been there before and she told me that she wasnt crazy and that I had to go. I got out of there quickly because she obviously had issues. A few months later when my H.O. obsession began, I remembered that the woman asked if I was looking for the "little ones". I had a hunch that since the store looked like a time machine that if she had any H.O. cars that they would be from the 70s and brand new. I decided it was worth the risk to go down there and take a look. Over the next couple years I went by there on several occasions and they were never open. It hasnt been on my mind much lately until today. A delivery guy that frequents my shop was telling me about a friend of his who sells old toys, so I naturally asked him if he had any slots. He replied that he was sure he did, and we called him. This is where it gets me, The guy told me that he had recently bought the contents of an old Hobby Shop but he sold all of the stuff already. Out of curiosity, I asked him the name of the shop. He told me the name, and it was the SAME PLACE! He told me that he got 300 boxed slot car sets!! And that they had a storage building loaded with stuff! Im not sure if it was from the same shop buy out but he also told me that he had gotten 1500 Aurora slot cars and sold them all already. Of all the stinking luck. Ive been going down there for 5 years and this guy just walks on in and makes the score of a lifetime. I guess my hunch was correct. 

Well at least I made a new contact and he knows that Im always interested if he come across any more cars or parts.

Just figured I would share this here because no one else I know really cares about this stuff...lol


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

OMG!! I would kill myself dude


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Bitter Sweet story. I have a similar one of an old hobby shop here in the Dallas area.

By the way, I got the Trans Am.


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## Dyno (Jan 26, 2009)

You would have been happy, there was supposedly a bunch of Tyco sets too. I love the Tycos too. I don't discriminate.


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

*swing n a miss!!*

that was a cool story. dyno try not and beat yourself up too much. there are more scores out there and i enjoy reading about them.my big brother always says " ya win some ya loose some and some get rainedout ... but ya gotta get suited up for em all." thats great the old lady had you pegged as bad guy and missed a sale that could have helped 5 years earlier. u get outta here!!!


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## 440s-4ever (Feb 23, 2010)

That's exactly why those "scores" exist. Sellers that are not normal sellers for a variety of reasons that leads to a large amount of old goods being accumulated. When the seller's life situation changes to force the sale, it's never a normal sale, and never to the most persistent buyer. It's to the next guy thru the door, and sometimes no sale at all, it's loaded into dumpsters.


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## Gear Head (Mar 22, 2005)

Aw man. The stuff that only dreams are made of.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

440s-4ever said:


> ..... and sometimes no sale at all, it's loaded into dumpsters.


Don't make me cry...


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## Dyno Dom (May 26, 2007)

Last baseball season I went to Baltimore for a Yankee series.
Driving beyond the Inner Harbor area, spotted an old hobby store.
Pulled over, got closer & store seemed recently vacated. A man came
out, asked if he could help & gave directions to another old hobby shop.
Met w/owner of 2nd shop who recently sold collection of about 300 assorted HO slots. 
A little over 10 yrs. ago one of our club racers was upstate NY.
He stopped at a General store for a snack & spotted some HO RR items.
He asked for possible HO cars & the elderly store owner showed him 2 boxes
of Batmobiles at $1.98 each. Gotta be lucky!


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## nick danger (Apr 7, 2002)

I used to be a serious racer with a small collection of HO slots. I lost interest about 6 or seven years ago and returned to my first love, playing Guitar and collecting Audio equipment. 

While making a deal for a vintage amp, I noticed several boxes of trains and assorted scenery laying around. Turns out this gentleman had a huge train layout in the past with a slotcar layout made as a town throughout the layout. I asked about the cars and he said he still had everything packed up in the basement. He had a total of 30 Aurora Thunderjets, with original boxes and labels. Some boxes still had a Two Guys sales sticker on them. We worked out a price and they went home with me along with the Receiver I originally went there to buy. You never know when you may stumble across some slotcars just waiting for a new home.


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## [email protected] (Jan 31, 2010)

My score went like this. I'm on the volunteer fire department and an elderly lady had passed away leaving a decrepit home and some land to the fire department. She had no surviving family members and had always brought us in baked treats at the fire meetings. The town condemned the home and told us to get permits for training on a live burn for the home and when the home was gone we could use the land for a fireman's park. Anyways I was given the task of removing all the linoleum and all asphalt based shingles prior to our live burn training on the home to keep the toxin levels at a safer level in case the winds carried some of the smoke to nearby homes. I explored the home and had tons of old boxes that I had to clear out. One box in the attic had some old lock and joiner track. Well I tossed the box in my truck. It sat in my basement waiting to be put away for about 9 months never digging into the box. I removed the contents and found 4 cars in the bottom. A small green mustang a white mustang. A red Ford Fairlane and a good humor ice cream truck in the box. :thumbsup:


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## Dyno (Jan 26, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> It sat in my basement waiting to be put away for about 9 months never digging into the box.


How could anyone wait 9 months before looking in the box???:freak: I would have rifled through the box before it even got out of the house.
:thumbsup:


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## [email protected] (Jan 31, 2010)

It was early spring. Not only that it was all track on the top. I set it on the bench and rarely go in the slot cave from late March till December.

Slot cars are a season for me. When I can't use my boat for fishing, camper for camping or play softball then I have time to race. Being that there is no one else that is interested in slot cars less than an hour and half from me I just tinker on my own.


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## Dyno (Jan 26, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> It was early spring. Not only that it was all track on the top. I set it on the bench and rarely go in the slot cave from late March till December.
> 
> Slot cars are a season for me. When I can't use my boat for fishing, camper for camping or play softball then I have time to race. Being that there is no one else that is interested in slot cars less than an hour and half from me I just tinker on my own.


I hear ya. I usually dont mess with the slots during the summer either, but I still would have looked in the box. What was that movie with Brad Pitt? Seven, I think, when he said "whats in the box...whats in the box???? LOL


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## Dyno Dom (May 26, 2007)

Yes, Brad & Morgan Freeman found the box to be a real head's up.


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## Dyno (Jan 26, 2009)

Dyno Dom said:


> Yes, Brad & Morgan Freeman found the box to be a real head's up.


:thumbsup:


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