The Scarcity Intensity Scale

[fixer]

beautiful

[Squid]

Maybe we should use a 1-10 scale, in the manner that is often used to rate condition? It would be something like 1 is very commonly found even in factory-fresh condition, where a 10 is extremely hard to find in any condition. In rare cases, a 10+ could also be used.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

What happens when we have our 10+ model and something turns up that proved to be even harder to find. The #13 Dodge Wreck Truck from 1965, was painted in a colour scheme said to have been disliked by the company it represented, 'BP'. The colour scheme was simply swapped so the cab unit was now Yellow and the rear deck was in Green. This action means the first 1965 version is very hard to find and we may well like to class it as a 10+ model.

In 1969-70, the same castings were put together and painted to match that very first 1965 version. It was done for a select number of members for an American Matchbox collectors club, 24 examples in fact, now when this version comes up for sale, it very nearly is as expensive as the first version and we know there were only 24 examples made, and maybe not all of them have survived, what can we give this model, a 10++ or 11?

Ghosthunter.

[Squid]

What happens when we have our 10+ model and something turns up that proved to be even harder to find. The #13 Dodge Wreck Truck from 1965, was painted in a colour scheme said to have been disliked by the company it represented, 'BP'. The colour scheme was simply swapped so the cab unit was now Yellow and the rear deck was in Green. This action means the first 1965 version is very hard to find and we may well like to class it as a 10+ model.

In 1969-70, the same castings were put together and painted to match that very first 1965 version. It was done for a select number of members for an American Matchbox collectors club, 24 examples in fact, now when this version comes up for sale, it very nearly is as expensive as the first version and we know there were only 24 examples made, and maybe not all of them have survived, what can we give this model, a 10++ or 11?

I'd just stop with 10+. Models of known small quantities would best fit into that bracket. Being that nothing in my collection would have an assigned 1-10 rarity of more than 3, I'm just positing that a 1-10 scale might be a little less arbitrary than verbiage...I'd leave the logistics behind assigning numbers to collectors who are more experienced than I.

[Miller]

This whole thing is like beating a dead horse. How much people would recognize this list? Most people here are or get educated about the rarity of some models. Outside of our little world no one will care...

Looking at ebay every second RW is described as rare and must have massive golden axles depending on the prices for the offered mass products. People see shops with crazy prices and think they sell the holy grail.

[Ewan]

One of my lead figures book uses the following guide which I quite like. It also doesn't feature a price guide which I quite like too as I like finding something rare but couldn't care less about value.

A = Unique (for Lesney purposes could this cover pre-pros?)
B = Very Rare (the rarest of production models such as the red Victor?)
C = Rare
D = Relatively Common
E = Common

[starni999]

Really hard to define this one.
I honestly don't think anybody will ever come up with a foolproof system of defining rarity. It's all in the eye of the beholder.
I really don't like the phrase "hard to find", even though I use it myself!
No model is hard to find, the most "HTF" Dinky is probably the HG Loose van, it's not hard to find, I know exactly where it is, and if I had £20,000 spare it would be mine.
Chris Warr.

[motorman]

Really hard to define this one.
I honestly don't think anybody will ever come up with a foolproof system of defining rarity. It's all in the eye of the beholder.
I really don't like the phrase "hard to find", even though I use it myself!
No model is hard to find, the most "HTF" Dinky is probably the HG Loose van, it's not hard to find, I know exactly where it is, and if I had £20,000 spare it would be mine.
Chris Warr.

Indeed Chris so maybe we need a new descriptor HTF, hard to fund!!

My wife has just butted in with a suggestion WOBM, waste of bloody money!!!!!! Thanks darling

[starni999]

Cheers mate,
When I lived at home my Ma called them DT's Dust Traps!
I've got some M,bx reg wheels that are VHTF, I know I put them in one of those boxes, in the.....loft? shed? garage?
Sorry, getting off topic...
CW.

[Squid]

Maybe we need a new descriptor HTF, hard to fund!!

My wife has just butted in with a suggestion WOBM, waste of bloody money!!!!!! Thanks darling

Hard To Fund is appropriate in some cases. My girlfriend will usually describe my die-cast as "cute." I'm okay with that...as Alex's wife has demonstrated, there are a lot worse things a significant other can call them!