Hot Wheels Treasure Hunts. How Rare Are They And What Are They Worth?

Be sure to expand for all of the info. It is important to note that the opinions expressed in this video are from my involvement in the hobby for 15+ years. I do not work for Mattel and I have never worked for them.
Many people want to know, how rare are Treasure Hunts? Treasure Hunts are a series of cars that Mattel started in 1995, Mattel printed right on the cards that they were limited to 10,000. I show the complete set in this video including the '67 Camaro, the VW Bug, the Purple Passion and the Shelby Cobra. In 1996, Mattel upped the quantity to 25,000 and by 1997, they only state "Limited Edition" on the card. The no longer publish production quantities.

By the way, I showed the JC Penney 1995 Treasure Hunt box set but those Treasure Hunts were also available as singles in regular Hot Wheels cases. Yes, $1 cars and the '67 Camaro has a value of $350+

In the video, I gave an example of 10,000 stores selling 10 cases each just in the USA. This was off the top of my head but now I have more precise information. According to Wikipedia, here are some of the stores that I know sell Hot Wheels and how many locations they have. Of course, I don't know how many cases they get each but you can do your own estimating.

Walmart 11,000
Target 1,900
Kmart 1,200
Toys R Us 1,600
Kroger 2,400

There are also other retailers that sell Hot Wheels basic cars/toys but it doesn't seem like they get regular, monthly shipments.

Walgreens 8,300
Family Dollar 7,600
Dollar Tree 4,700
Rite-Aid 4,600
CVS 7,400
Big Lots 1,400
99 cents Only 311

That is just the USA! Countries such as Brazil, Australia, Canada and the UK also sell quite a bit of toy cars.

I have been doing factory sealed case unboxings for two years. It seems to me that basic Treasure Hunts are in about 12 of 15 case codes each year. Super Treasure Hunts seem to come in at around 3 per 15 cases. They are not guaranteed to be in each case and if there is one, it's only one. There are never multiples or rather, if there is a basic or a Super, there won't be two of that release. There might be a basic and a Super but never two basics or two Supers.

What's the difference between a basic and a Super? In a nutshell, 2014 basic Treasure Hunts will have a circle-flame logo on the model and on USA cards, there will be special 'this is highly collectible' text behind the model, in the blister. Supers have rubber tires and special paint. Often they will also have a TH tampo and details on the roof or hood that the regular counterpart did not have. I clearly show you this information in the video and in the video links below.

Now, what are Treasure Hunts worth? Are chase pieces collectible? What should the selling price be? It's all about supply and demand. Super Treasure Hunts have proven to be in shorter supply. They aren't in every case. They seem to only be in 20% of the cases. They are not repeated the next month. A different Super will be contained in the next case codes. On that note, if a Super is in your case code ABC, that doesn't mean that all ABC cases will contain a Super. Treasure Hunts are randomly distributed according to Mattel.

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