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I have been delayed in Posting this because of my recent job change, but I am resting a bit early this A.M. on my computer after a 6 day run at work.
The highlight of this year's Das Auchtsfest Toy show in Macungie Pennsylvania last weekend was a planned (By kwaker's standards...LOL) meeting Saturday afternoon with Kay from Germany. I had spent my whole day shopping at the Mom and Pop Dealers outside the School Building this year with many nice variations found at several different general Toy vendors. At about my proposed 2 o'clock meeting time I received word that Kay had been wandering outside aimlessly looking for a non-descript Caveman looking Yank from upstate N.Y. since about noon. Poor Kay had no idea of who he was about to meet at all.....
A good friend of mine named Bob was able to assure Kay that I would be wandering inside at closing time to help him break down and share some Lesney stories with he and a very astute Lesney collector named Matt as I have for many years now. At the School's front door I had the pleasure to immediately be introduced to Kay, and we retreated to a spot where we could disrupt my friend Matt being able to pack up his stall. I broke out some of my 'finds' for the day, and the race to condense years of Matchbox stories was on! Kay and I along with Bob and Matt and anyone else who happened by were subjected to the usual endless chatter enjoyed by those in our hobby. I had found 3 Mint tougher variations of the common #1 Mercedes Truck that day from one dealer, so their bases became our focus for a few minutes, as did a cream front panel with white side panels Lesney Fire Station I found on a table Cheap at noon time! The strength of any Toy Show is the ability of collectors to find hidden treasures that are unheard of, but ignored by hundreds of 'lookers' before they are 'discovered' by us. Kay shared a RARE Canadian Gift Set he had purchased in an antique Shop for all of us to drool over. What an unknown treasure that one is, and deserves a place in Nick's Gift Set area at his site. Kay and I eventually spent about 5 whirlwind hours together discussing Matchbox variations, our Hobby, and the collectors and Dealers involved in it now and over the many decades, our two countries, but best of all Life in general. We shared many stories, ate cheap American Pizza at Ci Ci's with my Wife and Two of my Sons and a girlfriend, (One of my Son's, my wife said we did not have enough room to bring mine along...LOL), so had a most enjoyable evening after the show. Pen Pals become Friends, there is nothing quite like it in our collector world.
The Toys are Great, but Friends like Kay are Priceless.....Cheers! Dick kwakers

Thanks for posting this.
When I met Kay in june here in the Netherlands he talked about this plans again to visit the USA.

marcel

Hi all, Hi Dick!
sorry for having been a bit lazy during the last week.
After my return from the US on Monday morning last week I had so many things to do (including getting back to work from Wednesday on) – so no postings and or pictures from my side so far!

The last weekend of my summer vacation included the visit to the Macungie Awkscht Fescht for the antique car show, the indoors toy show and the outdoors toy flea market.
I also had kind of a ….let’s say….loose appointment with Dick, which meant he just told me he would like to meet with me at the toy shows on Saturday.
I did not really know at what time and where, and I did not even know how he looked at all!!
Hmmm, ok……so I arrived at the outdoors toy market on Saturday morning at 7:00 am.
I went up and down the rows of stalls, then I went to the indoors toy show, then outdoors again, and then back into the school halls again. This went on the whole morning –I also went to the car show and the parts flea market after a while, just to return back to the toy shows after a while to pick up my “Hunt for Kwakers” again.
During the day I asked a couple of Matchbox dealers about Dick – and the answers were always like “yes, he will be here later – much later!” Or “Yes, I think I have already seen him somewhere outdoors” or “Yes, he has been here for quite a long time, but now he has gone to another place!”.
It was like hunting for a “phantom” with wild hair and a wild beard (at least that was what everybody told me about how he looks like!).
Bob Porcja and Matt Loftus told me that Dick would come to their tables at the very end of the show, so at around 1:30 pm I went back indoors, where all the dealers had already started to pack their items.
Then, finally, at 1:50 pm, a wild haired man in a blue shirt came to Bob’s stall – and I immediately knew my quest had found its end!

Well, and the rest of the story is easily told – after a short introduction to each other we started talking about Matchbox collecting at around 2 pm with a couple of other collectors, and Dick and I continued with our chat after the toy show… until it was around 9 pm!
This was just interrupted by driving to the pizza buffet with Dick’s family, where we talked about a few other things as well (but mainly about Matchbox collecting).

Man, what a blast - meeting Dick clearly was a highlight of my US vacation!!!!
This is what I love the most about the hobby – meeting other collectors and sharing stories and knowledge. That's the most valuable time you can spend for your hobby.

I will post a few pictures about Dick’s and my treasures in the next days.

Kay

P.S. By the way: If you ever have an appointment with Dick without knowing him, this is how he normally looks:


While digging in his treasure bags.......


While talking to Bob Porcja, a well-known expert on Corgi Toys (that’s the guy with a bit less hair!)......


and one of Dick's stranger finds (but not at Macungie)....

What an awesome story!
Kay's trip to the USA seems profitable, not only for some Matchbox toys also for meeting friends and other collectors.
Kay, I think we all looking forward to see your Canadian gift set!!!
It's a long time since we met the first time in Hamburg/ Eimsbüttel (If you can't remember: I'am the young collector, 18 years now, who bought a 34a Volkswagen bus from you.) and I hope we will meet next sunday in Winsen?!
Strange 'Snow Trac' by the way.

Thanks for sharing!
Greetings,
Linus

Sounds like you had your own east coast gathering without any offical MCCH participation LOL!
Snow Trac appears to have press fit tyres from the 1980s version of the two pack #40 Hay Trailer.
I wonder how many early 1970s Playart cars were up for sale at that event.
Wish I could still grow hair that luxuriant !

Seems like it was a very nice gathering.
Thank goodness Kwakers wasn't having a bad hair day Kay, you might have missed him completely !
zBret

He's not called the "cave man" for nothing

SMS88 wrote:Sounds like you had your own east coast gathering without any offical MCCH participation LOL!

Well, not quite, Mick!

I think it's time to confess that I'm still member (and even administrator) of the MCCH.
Maybe I should call this posting "my personal outing"!?

Kay

Sir_Matchbox_96 wrote:It's a long time since we met the first time in Hamburg/ Eimsbüttel (If you can't remember: I'am the young collector, 18 years now, who bought a 34a Volkswagen bus from you.) and I hope we will meet next sunday in Winsen?!
Linus

Hi Linus,

yes, of course I still remember you!
I will attend the Winsen car show next Sunday - but not as a stallholder at the toy market, just as a visitor of the show.

Kay

kay wrote:

SMS88 wrote:Sounds like you had your own east coast gathering without any offical MCCH participation LOL!

Well, not quite, Mick!

I think it's time to confess that I'm still member (and even administrator) of the MCCH.
Maybe I should call this posting "my personal outing"!?

Kay

so finally the East coast gathering did happen after all with Kay standing in for Mark who was getting on down with the devil in Georgia!