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Old Toys New Again
Collectibles show allows adults to revisit the toys
of their youths
Kinea White Epps,
Staff Writer
Raleigh News & Observer, July
2007
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As sleek and
shiny as the new Apple iPhone might be, it
doesn't have anything on a Star Wars
lunchbox with a matching thermos.
Such items are what drew a
crowd to the annual
Toy & Hobby Collectibles
Show on Saturday and Sunday at the N.C.
State Fairgrounds.
More than 600 patrons
milled about the Scott Building over the
weekend eyeing things such as vintage Fords,
windup |
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toys, comic
books, Disney toys, action figures and Hot
Wheels.
Justin Deegan, 23, a
vendor from Garner, knew the first time he
fell in love with collecting. His aunt
bought him a 1986 Jerry Rice rookie football
card. "I've been hooked
ever since," he said. "It's like, they just
get better with age." |
Toytown Antiques owners Jane
Delaney and her husband, Robert, not
pictured, sell antique toys that Robert
Delaney has been collecting for almost 22
years. They have toys dating back to the
1890s, and some are worth up to $3,600.
Photo by Tim Lytvinenko for
the News and Observer |
For many of the patrons, a walk into
the Scott Building was a chance to revisit their
childhoods. It was an opportunity to reminisce with old
friends like the Care Bears and Wonder Woman.
Yvonne Burgess of Raleigh is a
frequent visitor to the show. She brought her family
along Sunday for the trip down memory lane. Burgess
reveled in being able to snag a 1985 Sears Christmas
Wish Book for a couple bucks.
"With the toys of the past, you had to
use your imagination," Burgess, 44 said. "You could go
to another land."
Georgia Brzys, 14, and her sister
Hady, 18, agreed.
"The toys were so simple, and it
didn't take much to entertain," Hady said. The two were
fans of the vintage Barbie collection on display.
Ray Mozingo, owner of the
Clayton-based Inside Pitch Promotions, who sponsors the
show, said it's challenging to keep the interest up on
collectible items, particularly with the younger
generation.
"The older the toys are, the more the
younger generation isn't interested in them," Mozingo
said.
That's why many of the vendors at the
show on Sunday said they've tried to pass the hobby on
to their children and grandchildren.
Robert Delaney and his wife, Jane,
travelled from Nashville, Tenn., to take part in the
show. Delaney, who has collected toys for more than 20
years, recalled the first wind-up toy motorcycle he got
as a child. His family, including his mother, father,
uncles and grandparents, scrounged the $1.19 back in the
1950s to buy him the motorcycle. A replica at the show
was selling for about $500.
"I'm proud that I'm able to do this,"
Delaney said, looking over his table with more than 200
items displayed. "These are really rare items."
Blake McEnany brought his son Conor to
the show. McEnany likes to collect Star Wars action
figures and vehicles for his son.
"It's stuff you can't find in the
store," he said.
Conor, 7, enjoys the collection. But
he proudly boasted he's saving his money for a Nintendo
Wii.
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