I started really collecting Hot Wheels in 2007. It was a wild-west situation. You could go into a Toys R Us, Rite-Aid, or occasionally Wal-Mart and find cars that were upwards of 5 years old. After some collecting I thought to make my own series called Barn Finds. The JS0001 is short for John Spangler and I clearly overshot the numbering system which I corrected in 2014 along with starting to use my Dead Ringer Replicas logo.
My first custom carded Hot Wheels Car!
Barn Finds was my first attempt at a Hot Wheels series. It was intended to represent how you might find a classic car today if it were stored poorly in a barn or field.
The card was heavier cardboard (cereal box) and the front was a modified scan of an actual Hot Wheels card.
This car was “rusted” with rust paint, an actual 2-part metal base and rust solution.
The print quality on the backs was a bit rough.. first generation cards were literally the inside of cereal or other food boxes force-fed through my laser printer.
Missing pieces, slashed seats, broken windshield, fender tucked into back seat.
Restorable or not? Only time will tell.