Are your old Hot Wheels worth anything? Check the tires.
If they're Redlines, yes. Redlines are the early Hot Wheels with a thin red stripe on each tire, and I buy them from every state, whether they were played with or kept clean.
If the tires are plain black, or the cars are from the 1980s or newer, they're not what I buy. Here's how to tell in a couple of minutes.
Brandon Nielsen, Redline collector in Ogden, Utah
Three checks. Two minutes.
- 1
The tires
A thin red stripe around the tire means it's a Redline, one of the early Hot Wheels I buy. Plain black tires mean a later car, called a blackwall.
See Redlines next to blackwalls - 2
The base
Flip the car over. The base shows the model name, a copyright year, and USA or Hong Kong. The year is when the car was designed, so many 1968 cars say 1967. Hong Kong alone doesn't prove it's a Redline: the year matters more. If it says China, or any other country, it's a later car or a remake, not an original.
- 3
The package
Anything still sealed in its blister pack deserves its own close-up photo. I pay no less than $100 for each sealed car.
What I pay for sealed cars
Played with still counts
Worn paint doesn't rule a car out. I buy Redlines whether they were played with or kept clean, so send photos even if the cars were well loved. A few chips is normal, and even badly worn cars sell for parts or restoration.
Small groups count too. There's no minimum, and rare cars hide in small lots. If a collection is too small for me to buy, you still get a value and advice on how to sell it.
What I pay
- Whole collections: 75 to 80% of market value.
- Played-with Redlines with a few chips: usually $20 to $50 each.
- Badly worn cars, bought for parts or restoration: about $5 to $15 each.
- A typical collection is about 40 cars, and most sellers get $1,500 to $5,000.
- Cars still sealed in the package: no less than $100 each, up to $5,000, most around $250 to $300.
- Collections I've bought have ranged from $500 to $100,000.
What I don't buy
NASCAR, Treasure Hunts, blackwalls (plain black tires, 1977 and later), and anything from the 1980s or newer.
Not sure what you have? Send one photo.
Lay everything out, take one photo, and add close-ups of the best cars and anything still sealed. I usually reply with an offer within the hour.
More questions
For whole collections I pay 75 to 80% of market value.
A typical collection is about 40 cars, and most sellers get $1,500 to $5,000. Collections I've bought have ranged from $500 to $100,000.
Yes. I buy Redlines whether they were played with or kept clean, so send photos even if the cars were well loved.
A played-with car with a few chips usually brings $20 to $50. Cars that are badly worn, with most of the paint gone or parts broken, get bought for parts or restoration, at about $5 to $15 each.
There's no minimum. Small groups sometimes hide a rare car, so send photos of whatever you have.
If a collection is too small for me to buy, you still get a value and advice on how to sell it.
eBay can work, but it costs you fees and time. As of October 2026, eBay takes 13.6% of the total sale in most categories, diecast included, plus $0.40 per order over $10.
You also photograph and list every car, answer questions, pack and ship each sale, and deal with buyers who aren't always professional. Selling to me is one offer, one payment up front, and one box.
My comparison of eBay and selling to a buyer has more.