Collectors of die cast cars, and especially Mattel Hot Wheels collectors are no strangers to this phenomenon. When it comes to Hot Wheels, "the variation is the thing". With millions of Hot Wheels being stamped out every single week, collectors scramble to find "the one" that will pay for their children's college education. Well-seasoned collectors know that there are very few new Hot Wheels that will actually turn out to be so valuable. But there are dozens of vintage Hot Wheels that do have such a provenance. Prototypes have sold for several thousand dollars. Extremely rare production cars have also achieved incredible sales values.

In order to demonstrate the kind of things that make the difference between a vehicle that is rare and valuable and one that is more common and affordable, I have chosen the Jack "Rabbit" Special. This car was only made for a couple years. This model was "Bunny Car" in a cartoon series.  It came in one color with two different color interiors. Both interior colors are worth essentially the same amount. 

In a mint blister pack, the car is worth perhaps $45.00 to a collector. Loose cars in mint condition fetch about $25.00. This is not an unusual price range for vintage Hot Wheels, and in fact is quite affordable for a 30-year-old vehicle.

Looking at recent auction activity, several examples of Jack Rabbit Specials can be observed:

As may be seen from the wide range of sales prices, there is sometimes little that separates a bargain from a rare, blue chip collectible.  It pays to be knowledgeable about the items you plan to collect.  If you can be happy with a very nice, but not ultra rare variation of a particular item, you can save considerable money by purchasing it instead of pressing on for the premium items.  In this example, a restorable Jack "Rabbit" Special was purchased for less than five dollars.

If you'd rather have something nice without all the fuss but without spending a small fortune, shoot for the items that fall in between.  A good example of a particular item in great condition but not especially rare.  You might spend a little more than a beat-up copy but you will have something that can be displayed with pride.  And you have change left over to do more shopping!

But if you simply must have the definitive version of a particular collectible, and are willing to bid to a win, you can hit some incredible finds and take your collection to the next level!  The blue chip Jack "Rabbit" Special here is differentiated from the more common stable-mates by the pristine, mint-in-package condition and by the fact that the original decals that came with the car have not even been affixed!  A nice bonus is the lapel button that has not been bent yet!  A thirty-year old piece of Hot Wheels History that has not even been opened yet!  What's more, it's part of an original case with 89 more, just like it to be sold on eBay in February!

Paul M. Provencher
http://whitemetal.com/

Photos by Paul M. Provencher - Additional photos used with permission and courtesy of: Rob Curtis, Dean Uhlman

A Case of Jack-in-the-Box Jack "Rabbit" Specials up for Auction on eBay!

The Jack-in-the-Box Jack "Rabbit" Special was given away in 1970 as a promotional item by the Jack-in-the-Box hamburger chain. This was the first Hot Wheels car to be so used. At the end of special promotions, items were sometimes left over. In time, these accumulated in the stores and caused storage problems. This case of Jack-in-the-Box Jack "Rabbit" Specials was left over and a Jack-in-the-Box district manager was asked to "get rid of them". So he took them home and put them in his garage. About 28 years later, after giving a few away to young visitors, his son discovered them and found that there was some interest in them. A local antique mall had one for sale in worn-out condition with an asking price of $30! He contacted Paul M. Provencher through e-mail. Mr. Provencher provided the current book value of a mint-in-package item, quoted in Tomart's Price Guide to Hot Wheels at $450! The owner was dumbfound. He had an original carton with nearly 100! Not being a collector, but wanting this incredible find to have a good home, he decided to sell them at auction.

The case of Jack-in-the-Box Jack "Rabbit" Specials will be auctioned on eBay, starting on Feb 2, 2001 and running for nine (9) days. The item will be located in the Hot Wheels/Redline category with seller id "ppro".

The auction will consist of the original (opened) Jack-in-the-Box Jack "Rabbit" Special shipping carton that contains 90 cars, still in the original baggie with stapled-on waterslide decal and lapel button.