Total shot in the dark here re: diecast cars

[Orrex]

When I was a young kid in the mid 1970's, I recall that I didn't own many Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars, but I did have a fair number of what I now realize to be cheapish diecast vehicles sold in packs of maybe five or ten. The modern version of this packaging is common enough at Dollar Stores and the like, but back then I remember them to be solid metal with somewhat stiff axles and basic wheels (unlike the aforementioned "fancy" brands).

I mentioned these to my four-year-old the other day, and he was very interested in them, so I hoped to find some way of showing them to him.

Here's the problem: Googling "diecast cars" returns about a zillion hits, and I don't know enough of the technical lingo to narrow the search in any clearly useful manner.

Can anyone here recommend a site for diecast collectibles, or maybe suggest a bunch of search terms to help me track these down?


Sadly, I don't recall any of the particular models of car, or if they were even produced to match any "real" designs.


A shot in the dark, I know. But any insights you might have will be greatly appreciated.


Thanks!

[suninvited]

1. he was very what? n/t

[Orrex]

2. Whoops!

That was a weird typo. Thanks for the heads-up.

[Iggo]

3. For some reason...

...I believe they were called "Tootsie Toys." I still remember the taste of the red paint and chewing on the hard plastic wheels.

[Orrex]

4. Holy moley!

That actually rings a bell! I'll need to look into it.


Thanks so much!

[pokerfan]

6. Like these?

[Orrex]

8. Not quite--I believe that those predate me

However, this is among the cars I remember:



As collectibles, they're a bit pricey now, but I might be able to persuade myself to acquire one or two for the sake of nostalgia.

[pokerfan]

11. I assume that you've been to this site

https://www.collectablediecast.com

[Orrex]

9. So nice, I had to post twice

Oops.

[quip]

5. No help from me. Though I was into Hot Wheels, my real passion was for Corgi Cars

I had Chitty, the Bond cars (both), and the Land Rover from Daktari. They made all of the cool cars! Oh, yeah, I remember having a 3 wheeled foreign car, too! Hmmm, now did I ever have the Monkee mobile????

http://www.corgi.co.uk/CorgiSite/pages/cms/cms.asp?pid=march2008

[LeftyFingerPop]

7. Try this link....I'll keep looking

http://www.esnarf.com/dcs.htm

[LeftyFingerPop]

10. ebay link for tootsie toys

http://search.ebay.com/tootsie-toys_W0QQcrlpZ1647944933Q5f9424QQfnuZ1QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ3QQgbrZ1QQkeywordZtootsieQ20toys

[Orrex]

12. Wow--excellent!

Thanks for the link; it's just what I needed!

I probably would have gotten to eBay eventually, but until I learned that these were Tootsie Toys, I'd have had a tough time finding them.

[Whoa_Nelly]

13. One thing to keep in mind

If you are able to collect some of these older diecast cars, you may want to consider testing them for lead content before your 4 y.o. handles them. In years past, painted items, or those containing paint/coloring within the item structure, contained lead.

You can get lead test sticks at any hardware store.

[Orrex]

14. As a matter of fact, I was just wondering about that

I recall them to be delicious, but that was a long time ago.



Thanks for the tip!

[nolabels]

16. I can only remember that part about eating mud pies

by the time i was coughing it up they just assumed i was eating dirt :dunce:

[masshole]

15. I had some of these as a kid - Corgi

http://www.corgi.co.uk/

[suninvited]

17. These are just like what I remember playing with as a kid

and they are on EBay right now.

I had two of these cars, so that would have been earlier 70's