Don't call it an experiment.
That is what it was last year. Could I find all 15 Supers during random daytime store visits? I ended up 13 of 15, which was better than I thought I would do.
The problem with an experiment, is that the idea of "random visits" lost its definition over time. My visits were still in the daytime, and only when I had time while working, but they were probably a little more frequent than I would like.
So this year is not an experiment. All it is in 2015 is a documentation of any finds I have throughout the year. But I promise to document them.
2015 got off to a good start, as I found two of each of the first two Supers. 2 Kool Kombis on successive days, and then 2 Rrroadsters on successive Walmart stops while driving home from an out of town trip. Funny how those happened in bunches.
Afterwards I went on a typical dry spell. They happen a lot. I was really hoping to find the AE86 Corolla (for obvious JDMerrific reasons), and I would not have complained about finding a Ferrari 599XX. But to this point I have had no luck. There is still a decent chance I might find one or both. My luck in small rural stores that stock old batches has been well documented.
But so far it has been about finding recently released Supers in 2015. And that trend continued today.
I had a few minutes before I had to be on a conference call, and it was not enough time to visit a client. So I decided to use the extra time to hit a nearby Walmart. The first thing I noticed was the front endcap full of Hot Wheels. It appears this has been mandated by several stores, as most that I have visited in the last couple of weeks have had this endcap. Basics on the front, and Monster Jam/Star Wars on either side.
The pegs were full, but that wasn't alarming, since it seems most of the endcaps I have seen have been filled with old dump bin models. What was alarming, however, was obvious Batch E models. I noticed the blue E36 BMW down below, and quickly saw a McLaren P1 a few cars back on the top peg. I had heard some had found Batch E models, including a friend, Ace, who had found the batch a few towns away.
I was happy to be able to grab some extra E Case models, but because it was almost 10 am, I figured these pegs had already been hit. This particular store is well scoped out by some very nice, but very diligent collectors. So I thought I would pick up a couple of 302 Mustangs that I needed, and then go on my very way.
That was until I saw the multicolored Beetle. The Batch E Regular TH is bound to be popular among collectors, mainly because it is a VW. There is no way the diligent collectors around here would leave it, especially on a batch that just came out. So my interest was suddenly piqued.
And it paid off when I got the second row. There, one model back, was what I consider the best Super of 2015 so far:
It was a complete shocker. The collectors here are very good about knowing when new bins hit, but this small batch must have flown under the radar. My thinking is that the main large bins have yet to ship, and my guess is they will contain zamacs. Nonetheless, I happily grabbed the 302 Super, along with a few other regular 302's, looked for anything else (another Beetle, which I left), and went on my merry way.
The Mustang was definitely on my want list, and it was cool to find it so early. From what I learned later from other collectors, only a couple of stores around here got a small bin. My friend Ace found one of them (2 regs, no Super), and I apparently found the other, which was pegged instead of kept in the bin.
So where am I in 2015?
A. Kool Kombi - found twice in Walmart dump bins two days in a row mid-morning.
B. Rrrroadster - found 2 at successive out-of-town Walmarts, mid-morning.
C. Toyota AE86 Corolla - no luck
D. Ferrari 599XX - no luck
E. '69 Ford Mustang Boss 302 - found on the pegs at a nearby Walmart, mid-morning.
So we sit at 3 out of 5. Not a bad start, but I hope to find the Corolla and 599XX to fill in the list.
One bonus note:
From what a fellow collector told me, only two stores in the area got the mini dump bin. Well there was apparently a third.
Remember my work partner, we called him "Chad" for anonymity's sake, who found the Impala Super in a rural market dump bin just before Christmas? He doesn't collect, but has what you could call a curiosity about finding Supers, and wanted to find a Super just to say he had. After a few months of a stop here and there, he lucked out while we were on a business trip down in Moab. I was great to be there when he finally found one.
Well, his luck continues. While getting some groceries with his son at another nearby Walmart sometime after 5 pm today, he texted me this photo:
Bingo! He had seen the Mustang Super on a Lamley post earlier this week, and when he saw the mini dump bin, he decided to dig a bit. At the very bottom was the 302 Super. Hot crazy is that? He doesn't even collect and now he has more Supers than a lot of collectors I know. We will see how long his beginner's luck continues. A very cool find, especially since he found it himself. I was definitely more happy about his find than mine.
So, in a roundabout way, another set of two was found today, just like the Kombi and Rrroadster. We will have to see if that streak continues...
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