Blister - The clear plastic that holds the car to the card.

Card -

The cardboard like paper that that blister is attached to.

Hook -

The punch-out at the top of the card.

Mint -

A LOOSE car without a flaw.

Mint on Card (MOC) -

A car and card without a flaw. A car and card pulled off the rack or out of a

box may, however, not qualify. Only 1 in 100+ cars are truly MINT.

Mint on NEAR Mint Card -

A car and card that appear to be flawless upon casual inspection. Upon very

close examination, however, some flaw may always be seen.

Regular Issues -

The original car as mass produced by Mattel and offered as most general retail

outlets. (Treasure Hunts would be considered Regular Issues, even though they

are "limited" pieces, because they are found in retail locations.)

Limited Editions -

A car produced and packaged by Mattel for a special purpose, usually

commercial. Most are not found in retail stores. Examples: JC Whitney & AT&L

cars.

Club Cars -

Hot Wheels modified and package by others than Mattel. These are not

considered "One of a Kind" and are offered in some quantity.

Customs -

These care are "One of a Kind" Hot Wheels modified and packaged by others than

Mattel.

Prototypes -

A design sample produced by Mattel as a model for production runs. These can

be one of a kind or many of the same kind. These are generally never available

to the general public except as donated by Mattel for charity auctions and the

like. Only Regular issues & Limited Editions are recognized as Prototypes.

Example: "Feed the Children" Hiway Hauler.

Run -

The total period of manufacture of a particular car or the number

manufactured.

Short Issue -

A limited production number of a particular model. NOT A LIMITED EDITION!

First Edition -

The first production of most new issues. Examples: '96 Mustang, VW Bus, '70

Barracuda, Super Modified, etc.

Series -

A group of cars with the same theme. Usually in sets of 4 or more. Examples:

Race Truck Series, Space Series, Krackle Car Series, etc.

Pre 1995 cars issued on all blue cards.

Blue & White Card -

Post and including some 1995 cars issued on half blue & half white cards.

Brown Back -

Pre 1995 cars issued on brown backed cards.

Gray Back -

Post and including some 1995 cars issued on gray backed cards.

International -

Cars issued on either short cards (1/2 the size of regular cards) or cars

issued in blisters with foreign descriptions on the back. Examples: India,

China, Canada, Europe.

Tough -

A difficult car to find.

Impossible -

A VERY difficult car to find.

Runner -

A person often found sprinting to the Hot Wheels section of a store as soon as

the doors open.

Rack -

The generic name for the store display.

Peg -

The term used for the device that holds the card on the RACK.

Common -

The most widely available version of a particular model.

Variation -

A model, of the same name, that is different than the originally released

version.

Awesome -

A car that is totally NEAT.

Tampo -

The painted decoration on a car.

A '73 -

Any of the enamel painted cars produced in Mattel's troubled year of 1973.

Most of them were SHORT ISSUES.

Spectraflame -

Any enamel semi translucent paint used by Mattel. Most notable for developing

dark spots whether in or out of the blister.

Crumbler -

Any of the series cars produced in the early 1970's from inferior metal that

literally self destruct. Characterized by cracking and swelling metal that is

very brittle. The problem occurs with age and exposure to conditions and

cannot be repaired.

Condition -

Numerical scale in theory beginning at 1 and ending with 10. In practice it

begins at 5 and ends with 10. A 5 (C-5) car is in such poor condition that it

is not collectible for virtually any reason. A 6 (C-6) car can be used for a

filler or parts. A 10 (C-10) car is without flaw. This scale usually divides

into increments of 1/2. Most cars that are considered collectible start

somewhere around an 8 (C-8).

Dealer -

One who resells cars at a profit. This such person may, or may not, also be a

collector. Now a days they are not! The casual seller at a flea market or show

is not considered a Dealer.

who grab all of the same cars off the shelve and will NOT share with another

fellow collector standing behind or beside them. Most likely to be selling at

local flea markets or shows.

Trade -

The FAIR exchange of cars on an equal basis. The basis may be original cost or

present market value. This is the HONEST way for collectors to get those hard

to find pieces without getting ripped off.

Toy Club -

Any of the three Mattel owned/operated retail outlets. These are found in Ft.

Worth, TX; City of Industry, CA; & El Segundo, CA (the "MECA" where Mattel is

headquartered).

Dime Bin -

Clearance racks, baskets & shelves at any retail outlets.

Redline -

Generic term given to all cars from 1968 through 1977 that came with narrow

redlines on the sidewalls of the tires.

Real Rider -

The term given to cars with real rubber tires. Usually the most desired

Regular issue line Mattel has made (besides the "Redlines").

Spin Rivet -

The rivet that holds the base to the body. A spinning mandrel and pressure

form the rivet head.

Sleeper -

A car thought to be a regular issue, but was suddenly pulled from the line.

Example: VW Bus & Excavator.

Pie Plates -

A term given to the Ultra Hot line of wheels.

Rare -

So limited that few cars exist.

Gimmick -

One of a specialty run produced for a short time in mass quantities. Examples:

Computer cars, Pro Circuit, Pro Racing, Park 'n Plates, etc.

1/64^th -

One-Sixty Fourth scale. The most common reference scale given to Hot Wheels.

Generally, Hot Wheels are considered to be 3 inch cars NOT 1/64. Due to the

odd shapes of most of the cars produced, the length of the car is 3 inches and

the rest of the mold is shaped into the 1/64th scale.

Roof Rub -

This is the scuffing to the paint or chrome that is caused by the rubbing

against the blister.

Feeding Frenzy -

The savage attack that two or more dealers have over a freshly stocked

display. Very similar to a HOARDER.

Dry -

A store that you frequent, that usually carries Hot Wheels, has gone "DRY".

The shelves are empty. They "don't know when the next shipment will arrive".

How many times have we heard that one????????????

Clean -

The condition of the racks after all the new stuff has disappeared.

Headache -

The feeling you get from rapidly moving your eyes left and right, up and down

looking through the pegs on the racks for that one particular car.

the middle of the aisle.

Error -

Car on the wrong card, missing parts or tampos, or has mixed wheels.

Paid Runner -

Person paid to run from store to store buying all new releases & selling them

to a scalper/hoarder for a profit.

Gift Pack -

Vehicles issued as a 5 car boxed series. Some are issued for a short period of

time. Each series has it's own theme, similar to the 4 car series. Sometimes

you can find 2 or 3 of the 5 cars issued in single blisters.

Collector # (CN) -

This number is placed on the Blister Pack. It is often called the vehicle

style number.

Package # (PN) -

This number is Mattel item number placed on the Blister Pack. It is often

called the vehicle package number.

Copyright Date -

This is either the date on the bottom of the car or on the back of the blister

card.

Malaysia (MAL) -

Country where most HW's are manufactured.

Hong Kong (HK) -

Country where most Redlines were manufactured.

China (CHI) -

Country where some HW's are manufactured. These cars are usually packaged with

the form-fitting blister.

Thailand (THA) -

Country where alot of new HW's are manufactured.

India (IN) -

Country where most some HW's are manufactured.

Park-n-Plates -

A series of 12 castings issued between 1989 and 1991. They were packaged with

a plastic display box that came with a front cover resembling a license plate

bearing the name of the car.

Pro Circuit -

A series of 18 race cars in three racing categories (Indy Car, NASCAR, &

NHRA), issued in 1992 and 1993. The cars represented actual race cars with

matching tampos and interior. They were packaged with a special edition Upper

Deck collector card of the car and driver.

California "CAL" Custom -

A series of 19 castings, issued in 1990 and 1991, that had florescent colors,

chromed finishes, real rider tires, and unique wheel hubs.

RL - Redline tires.CT - Construction tires.BW - Basic wheels.

BWW -

Basic white wheels.

WW -

White Wall wheels.

UH -

Ultra Hot wheels.

Uhg -

Ultra Hot gold wheels.

HH -

Hot Hubs wheels.

RR -

Real Rider Tires.

PCS -

Pro Circuit silver wheels.

PCB -

Pro Circuit black wheels.

SP3 -

Three spoke wheels.

SP3g -

Three spoke gold wheels.

SP3w -

Three spoke white wheels.

Sp5 -

Five spoke wheels.

Sp5g -

Five spoke gold wheels.

Sp5w -

Five spoke white wheels.

Sp7 -

Seven spoke wheels.

Sp7g -

Seven spoke gold wheels.

Sp7w -

Seven spoke white wheels.

Dw3 -

Directional wheels.

Dw3w -

Directional white wheels.

Ho5 -

Five hole wheels.

Ho5w -

Five hole white wheels.

Lw -

Lace wheels.

LwW -

Lace white wheels.

HW - Hot Wheels.

MB - Matchbox.TRU - "Toys R Us".HTF - Hard to Find cars.

VHTF - Very Hard to Find cars. M - Mint.MOMC - Mint on Mint Card.

MIB -

Mint in Box OR Baggie.

BP -

Blister Pack.

TH -

Treasure Hunt.

LE -

Limited Edition.

FE -

First Edition.

VDK -

Van De Kamp.

AT&L -

All Tune & Lube.

Bmbase -

Black Metal Base.

Bpbase -

Black Plastic Base.

Gcbase -

Gold Chrome Base.

Gycbase -

Gray Chrome Base.

Gypbase -

Gray Plastic Base.

Msbase -

Metallic Silver Base ("dipped" base).

Rpbase -

Red Plastic Base.

Scbase -

Silver Chrome Base.

Ypbase -

Yellow Plastic Base.