![]() ![]() The so-called “Cheetah” Base Python also earns its place in the pantheon of rare, high-value Hot Wheels because of a naming snafu. With very few of these cars around today, Zarnock values them at upward of $4,000, loose (not in the blister pack). According to Hot Wheels collector, historian and appraiser Mike Zarnock, they were also available through a cereal mail-in and by sending in Proof-of-Purchase points from the backs of U.K. ![]() Shaver was a driver on the first Hot Wheels-sponsored drag-racing team in the U.K., and the specialty-packaged Ed Shaver AMX cars (which included a sheet of decals matching those on his dragster) were distributed at race events. ![]() But in terms of rarity, the most valuable by far is the slightly later blue “Ed Shaver” version. For the sporty 1969 die-cast Hot Wheels version, most (like the one above) trade for hundreds of dollars, with hard-to-find colors like salmon and antifreeze fetching on the higher end. The real AMX street car was a short-lived two-seater produced by AMC that, like most muscle cars, stuffed a high-powered engine into a midsize frame. Here, five of the most valuable and desirable Hot Wheels castings, most of which are squirreled away in private collections and not available on the open market: The fewer of a variant that are produced, generally speaking, the higher their value. Perhaps most desirable: early prototypes of popular models that were never produced. Changes could affect wheels, interiors, windows, graphics, paint shades, you name it. When something changes early on in the production process-such as the name or a key aspect of the physical design-the less-produced variant immediately takes on value. When it comes to mass-produced toys, variations make all the difference. Even rarer: finding an original model in its blister pack. It’s unusual to find the so-called “sweet 16” of 1968 in lightly-used condition since the painted tires often wore quickly and the wire axles frequently buckled from use. Serious Hot Wheels collectors seek mint-condition toys, with little to no sign of use, preferably in their original paperboard-and-plastic blister pack. Of course, the condition has a lot to do with how much any vintage die-cast car will fetch. ![]()
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