It all started in 1990 when "Mr. Hot Wheels" Larry Wood decided to create the purple passion which was more of a collectors car than a car that rolled like a regular hot wheels. He did this as an experiment to see how people would react.
People seemed to like it and started to collect them without opening them up out of the package. So between 1990 and 1995 they made a few more cars that were focused more towards the "collector".
Then in 1995 the "treasure hunt was born". They made 12 special cars in the mainline segment with a limited run of only 10,000 each. They called them the TREA$URE HUNT SERIES with a big green stripe across the card.
Check out the epic video on these Supers
At the end of the year they packaged them into the special
1995 set that was sold exclusively at JC Penny. It was found in the Holiday
Catalogue (See video).
Some Interesting Notes:- Only 1300 of the 2020 Super Sets were made while 2020
of the 1995 sets were made
- The 1995 originally cost $299!!! And yes, that was a lot for back then. But
now this set is worth $2500 to $3000 with the Camaro being worth $1400 alone.
- When these hit at JC Penny, they did sell fast, but did
not sell out right away. Some stores even put them on clearance.
- There is NO certificate in the 2020 set like there was in the 1995 set, the
box in incorrect!!
- 2007 is when "Super" Treasure Hunts were first introduced. There
were 12 Supers and 12 regular T-Hunts
- 2012 They went from 12 Regular and 12 Supers to 15 Regular and 15 Supers
- 2012 They stopped labeling them on the card, but for many years the cards
were not "numbered" and in 2019 they started numbering them again
- The 2020 set sold out in about 45 seconds and only 1200 were made.
Also in 1997 Hot Wheels stopped putting “real-riders” on the
Treasure Hunts. But then reversed this
in 2000.
Make sure to watch the video for more interesting facts and info if you love
Super Treasure Hunts.
These sets have started to increase in collectability and
price. Often, the card board box alone can be sold for without any of the cars
for up to $100. The 2 sets that demand the most value is the 1995 set of course
and the 2014 set. The 2014 set contains the ’71 Datsun Bluebird 510 Wagon, the ’55
Chevy Bel Air Gasser and the ’83 Chevy Silverado. These 3 cars along bring in
high value so the whole set has become sought after.
Another questions looms… will these sets continue to rise in
value? How sustainable is this trend and how much money are people willing to
pay? Some of the values of these small Hot Wheels has shot up astronomically
and one needs to question, is this just a fad? Let us know in the comments
below what you think.
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