Diecast 64 Magazine June 2018 | Page 62

What is a Treasure Hunt car?

In 1995 the first treasure hunt cars were released. There were only 10,000 of them randomly inserted in cases. They were a big hit. Some of those first treasure hunts are highly sought after and fetch quite a price. In 1996 Mattel increased the number of treasure hunt cars to 25,000. Since then, Mattel has not revealed how many treasure hunt cars are released each year. In 2007 a new set of treasure hunt cars were released, the super treasure hunt. Super treasure hunts have real rider tires and spectraflame paint. They were released in addition to the “regular” treasure hunt set and are considerably more rare than the regular treasure hunt cars. Up until 2012 treasure hunt cars could be identified by information on the card. Treasure hunt cards had a green bar, the words “treasure hunt” or “T Hunt” and/or a treasure chest. In 2012 Mattel began to hide some of the treasure hunt cars by not labeling them as treasure hunt cars on the card. By 2013, all the treasure hunt cars had become secret, meaning the card does not obviously designate them as a treasure hunt car. The clues to identifying a car as a treasure hunt car have become much more subtle. At this time the regular treasure hunt set and the super treasure hunt set each contain 15 cars. They are released throughout the year.

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Treasure Hunt