Kent Commons, 525 Fourth Ave. N.<\/a> Admission is $5. Children under 12 get in for free. The show also returns its Kent venue May 2 and Sept. 12.<\/p>\nMost of the 200 tables at the show will display model cars and trucks from Hot Wheels to Tonka trucks to Buddy L trucks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a collector for every type of car,\u201d Cays said. \u201cThere will be Chevrolets, VWs, Mustangs and others. That\u2019s what\u2019s neat about the show.\u201d<\/p>\n
Promoter Todd Aicher has brought the show for 20 years to Kent. A few collectors, including Cays, initially met at Aicher\u2019s home in Snohomish to have their show before deciding they needed a bigger venue.<\/p>\n
Dealers now come from as far as Canada and California, as well as the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m 50 and I\u2019m on the young end of things,\u201d Aicher said. \u201cA lot of guys are in their 70s and have been doing this forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cays, 65, owns about 500 cars. He will take the extra cars he has in boxes to the show. The cars in the display cases remain in the display cases.<\/p>\n
\u201cI go to the show to buy some and to trade,\u201d Cays said.<\/p>\n
Cars at the show can sell for a few bucks to hundreds of dollars, depending on the demand for specific models. Hot Wheels are manufactured by Mattel and were first released in 1968. They\u2019re still highly collectible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you keep the cars in their original boxes they\u2019re worth more money,\u201d Cays said. \u201cBut I like to display them. I\u2019m more selective now with what I buy. But I get every Mustang that comes out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cays also drives a 2007 black Mustang. He even has a Mustang model painted just like his car. He bought his first full-size Mustang in 2003, but he\u2019s been a serious Mustang-miniature collector for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always liked that car and I always wanted to own a Mustang,\u201d Cays said. \u201cIt took me to age 60 to get one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite all of the model Mustangs, Cays said a 1967 Mercury Cougar ranks as his favorite car in the collection.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the first car we owned and my kids used it in high school,\u201d Cays said.<\/p>\n
As the father of four boys, Cays found that Hot Wheels were a popular toy around home.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy kids would have track over the entire living room and dining room,\u201d Cays said, of the orange plastic stuff that the cars were designed to roll on. \u201cWe had lot of Hot Wheels, but my collection stayed on the wall. They had their own collection and helped me find cars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cays continues to collect cars partly in tribute to two sons who died. His oldest son died at age 16 from a heart virus 24 years ago. His youngest son died at age 19 in a car accident seven years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why my collection is so personal,\u201d Cays said. \u201cMy oldest and youngest sons were more into it. The oldest helped me build my collection. That\u2019s why I keep it going and why it\u2019s so precious. It\u2019s a lot of fun to have something like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cays said any Hot Wheel car can be purchased on the Internet. But he prefers the Kent shows that he never misses, over buying cars online.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not as much fun as going to a show and finding a special car,\u201d Cays said. \u201cI think trading is a more personal thing. I also go for the camaraderie.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
If you go<\/p>\n
What: The Greater Seattle Toy Show<\/p>\n
When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday<\/p>\n
Where: Kent Commons, 525 Fourth Ave. N.<\/p>\n
Cost: $5, children under 12 free<\/p>\n
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