Guide to NASCAR Diecast Values and Pricing

     So how much are those diecast cars really worth? Maybe you are an avid collector and you want to know how much your collection has appreciated in value. Maybe you have a few diecast cars that you are wanting to sell and you need to know the price you should ask. Or, maybe you are wanting to buy a diecast car and want to know if you are getting a good deal. Well the answer is not as simple as you are hoping for. NASCAR diecast cars are collectible items. Like any collectible they only have value to someone who wants them. An Elite Dale Earnhardt Goodwrench Crash Car would have little or no value to someone who was not a fan or collector. But to someone else it could be near priceless.

     There are, however, some basic factors which affect how much a diecast car is worth on average. 1st is the manufacturer. All manufacturers are not created equal. The diecast cars you can pick up at your local mega-mart have significantly lower quality and value than those produced by top of the line companies. For a closer look at the companies check out our Diecast 101 page. Availability also affects value. If the market is flooded with a certain type of diecast car the value will be much lower. Also, all NASCAR diecast cars are produced in limited quantities. Once these are all bought and in individual collections they can be very difficult to get. For this reason diecast cars tend to appreciate over time, as they become less readily available. Popular drivers and car sponsors are more highly sought after and can be more difficult to find. NASCAR diecast cars can also gain temporary popularity, causing a market shortage, due to some specific driver activity, like accident, retirement, sponsor change or championship win. These types of things can artifcially elevate a cars price in the short term. Other factors like dealer bias or geographic area of the store also can influence the price of a diecast car. If your city only has one NASCAR diecast store, chances are the prices wil be a little higher. Finally diecast car values fluctuate. Over time they generally increase but month to month they prices will rise and fall.

     Now that you know all the factors that go into the value, how do you estimate the value of a particular diecast car? First, you can pick up copies of Diecast Digest magazine and Becketts Racing Collectables. They list just about every NASCAR diecast car produced. I prefer Diecast Digest. It's listings are more complete and consisitent. A couple of notes; the magazines can be a little difficult to read through so take your time and study them. Also, the magazines do not list equal values for specific diecast cars. One magazine may be marginally or even substanially higher or lower than the other. The second way to find the value of a diecast car is to do some Internet research. See if you can find your car for sale on any other diecast sites. This will be very easy or nearly impossible depending on how many of those cars are in circulation. You should not use Internet auction sites for the purpose of estimating diecast value. The prices of diecast cars on these sites is usually way off from book value. Also, don't be tempted to assign a value to your car because you found the price of a similar but not exact diecast. Diecast cars can have the same driver and sponsor but produced in a different year and have radically different values.

     So remember diecast cars are not cash they are collectibles. Their "price" is affected by many factors but their "value" is what they are worth to an individual collector. Collecting NASCAR diecast cars should be fun. Don't get caught up in the price, look at the value to you.

UPDATE: as of May 2006 Diecast Digest no longer appears to be in business.