Customs Crazy Big hubcap and wheel cover collection

Just throwing this out there for opinions. I have somehow through the years collected thousands of wheel covers and hubcaps, mostly common 50's , 60's and 70's stuff. I sell a few on epay and at swap meets but it has not put a dent in the hoard. As I am getting older( almost 67) I am in the position that like so many others I don't want to leave this mess for my kids to deal with. I hate to scrap them as I know they are getting hard to find and the junk price on them would hardly be worth my time and hauling cost. My question is what the hell to do with them? Any body want to get in the hubcap business?

 

It can catch up to you faster than you think . You may have to slowly give them away to a charity like St. Vincents and just keep the ones you like. Though they might cut you off in short order . Most likely your best option is to unload them at a scrap dealer.

 

Post up a few pics. Maybe some young, ambitious hot-rodder will consider purchasing the lot at a favorable price and re-sell them over his lifetime for a bit of a profit.

 

Pic... or it didn't happen!

 

Who'd make that up? Have you tried advertising the lot in Hemming's? Or maybe getting it included in a major auction of automobilia? One of the big auction sites-BJ or Sotheby's or somebody might be able to help there. Although, with their hefty sellers fees, you'd have to be careful, but at least you'd get something. You could also donate them to someplace like the AACA museum in Hershey and a get a tax credit. Keep asking and thinking.

 

Are you just trying to make me feel bad cause I am too stupid to post pictures? I have tried to post pictures here but some thing always screws up. I am so computer dumb I am lucky to be able to post messages let alone the fancy stuff. Just picture in your mind a shit load of hubcaps, now think a thousand times more than that!

 

Many of us are in the same situation, only on a much smaller scale than you describe. We have ‘collections’ of relatively high supply, low demand items. We all are familiar with the law of supply and demand and what that means for ‘value’. Value, not only in the obvious monetary sense, but in desirability ......the latter making it difficult to find someone who will take our stuff, even for free.

Recently I have begun facing what I believe are ‘realities’ and am giving away stuff to those who may have a use, and will accept it, and scrapping what nobody wants. Either way, it takes some time and effort to clean up our messes.

Ray

 

Oh jeez. My comment was extremely lighthearted.

 

It's a tough crowd here, Casey, especially this early in the morning.

 

Are there no artistic wierd type of metal sculptors in your area. You know, the type that make a crazy big ass steel sculpture that everyone says is ugly yet they sell it to a town council for big dollars in the name of alternative art-form.

 

I was in a similar situation last year, ended up with 6-800 in a parts lot I bought, mine were mostly GM with spinners and some wires from the late 50's-1970, some were really rare, but except for some fiesta olds ones they didn't sell.
An example, I had a set of 64 GTO wires with spinners and couldn't get $50 for a set at the swap meet. (Charlotte Autofair)

The hubcap dealers at the autofair didn't want them if they had a scratch or ding on them and they all had something being used ones. I even offered them to a dealer for $2 each if he took them all.
I ended up giving them away to a guy who thought he could sell them, I said good luck, he has maybe sold a couple sets in the last year.
It just wasn't worth my time to mess with them.
That's my experience with hubcaps, hope your is better, Bud

 

Make clocks out of them and try selling those on the bay.

 

Iv,e done that with quite a few vintage/classic hubcaps. Selling on the internet means carefull & timewasting packaging to protect the hands on the clock. Selling a hubcap clock is easier at a swapmeet. Then there,s allways the guy that says what a shame , you fucked up a nice old hubcap. $20 to $35 is the maximum i could get.

 

A funny thing with hubcaps is they all seem to have their day. Those '64 GTO wires mentioned above? When I hand one in the late 80's those wires were as much as $200 each if you could find any. Four years later they were less than $50 each. It became ok to go to a Pontiac show with aftermarket wheels.
Right now Dog dish caps are the hot thing, nobody seems to want full wheel covers. Of coarse Fiesta's and 57 Caddy caps are always good.

 

The last thing I would consider is throwing them away. Even a donation you could use as a tax deduction.

I would start with paper and pencil, then Google search. I just searched "old car used hubcaps"...
I would write their number down, contact them about buying them all.
Of course check Hemmings, etc. If you didn't want to bother selling then sell as a lot. You may even try listing on eBay with a reserve price as a lot, local pickup only.
Here's one Google search...

"Used Hubcaps Used Wheel Covers Hub Cap Mike Vintage Classic Car

https://hubcapmike.com › vintage-hubcaps

Used hubcaps and classic car manufacturer's used vintage wheel covers for sale at Hubcap Mike.com from 50's 60's 70's"



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My suggestion to the OP: Try to lighten the load, as much as possible, as easily as possible. Since you are a collector, you probably can identify what you have. Make a discard pile. Discard anything from the 80's, they will never be worth anything. From the '60's and '70's, discard any 13-inch and discard anything which is not muscle car or pony car. From the remaining '60's and '70's, discard any which have serious dents, scrapes or roadburn. From the 50's, discard any which have serious dents, scrapes or roadburn. Dispose of the discards in whatever way that is easiest for you.
Now the pile should be a little more manageable. Consider selling the remainders as a lot, saving out a few of your favorites.
Good luck

 

I have a few that I am wondering what to do with....

 

If you like, you can send your photos to me and I will post them here....

 

Wow, I read each post.. The comment about "pics, or it didn't happen" has ALWAYS meant on Hamb, that we would really like to see pics! No offence was intended.

Ok, Lets face it, the recent threads about "Hey Hambers, what is YOUR age'" proves that most of us are in the Medicare-less age group ...and that should give a hint that there are a LOT of us, and very few younger people who want our piles of parts we saved during our lives....

...then the fad of Ebay many years ago, which then got super high prices for some of our parts,..... but Corporate greed killed that whole gravy train, by chasing away buyers AND sellers ...prices crashed.

We hate to scrap our things, so we elder downsizing guys load up our truck and head to Frank's place(Me!), saying "you gotta take it all, to get the best stuff in the truck" LOL...so now I just can't take anymore free stuff to "save it for the hobby". I had to say "no mas"...(no more)

Ok, yesterday I ran 6 or 8 ads on my Local C/L for cheap things... 3 calls so far, First call, I determined he actually needed a slightly different engine, so that was a no sale.

2nd call, the guy who is 64, wants the vintage lawn tractor I put up for $100 or so, but has no way to haul it, wants me to load it and haul in my gas hog 1966 K20 45 minutes away, one way!... in 95 degree heat.. geez..

3rd call is out of state, I tried his phone number twice, the phone company message says I need an access code?? WTH... and I think it was maybe a $40 item.

Scrap prices are going up... Maybe I will see that huge pile of wheelcovers there when I finally scrap everything I have... But, stainless steel does bring a better price than steel at the scrap places. You may have to scrap it all, but if you get a friend to put up pics here, maybe someone on hamb will end up with them??

 

no easy answers - limited market in the classic car restoration/custom cars / hub cap collectors worlds - when I have had next to no response to selling car parts, furniture, collectibles, etc I offer minimal cash for someone to take them away - usually get quick response

 

Reality vs Sentimentality......tough to sell......

Sort of like what has been said of getting remarried....."The Triumph of Hope over Experience" ......

Ray

 

now that's funny!

I can't afford to get married AGAIN......(.'cause I know it is the first step to divorce!...and that leads to subsequent "feeding of the lawyers"). soooo, I just "window shop" instead, and YES, I do have pics!!

I have no idea why I am in a great mood today....as I don't even have the money to pay my property taxes due July 31st! ....Maybe I will just go for a cruise to look for more cuties...
.
.

 

OK, this might not be a lot of help, but I have gotten rid of a bunch of wheel covers at swap meets by selling them for other uses, i.e. dog dishes, or the most famous chip & dip sets, see attached. And of course sell 'em cheeep!

 

That's the Spirit!!

Ray

 

Why collect the shit ones to begin with?

 

All my shop does is buy and sell old car parts, if I were closer, I'd come and have a look at the collection and make you an offer. Certainly if someone fairly local called me up and I saw a pile the size of 31Dodger's pile, I'd be interested in making an offer. There's definitely some good, sellable stuff in that pile.

Just keep in mind that they don't bring a whole lot retail, and I'm offered so much stuff on a weekly basis, it's only worth it for me if it's a bargain. Certainly I could pay more than scrap price, but don't expect thousands of dollars, especially if the collection has been cherry-picked.

If you really want them all gone, you need to find a parts dealer in your area. There are lots of us. What might work is to do a few different eBay searches for old car parts and sort by distance, see if anyone is within 50 miles of you that does a lot of selling, and ask if they're interested in buying out a big collection of caps for a bargain price (also keep in mind, they can't send you a phone number through eBay's system, but you can send them yours). You might need to enlist the help of someone a bit more computer-literate to do your searches.

Don't give up on selling them though, find someone like me who'll buy them all, and be prepared for a pretty low offer. At least that way you got something, and the good stuff won't go to waste.

 

Lucky for me, I have not gotten into the pile very deep and I am certain there are some real good ones in there.

 

..............Perhaps a few blacksnakes as well.

 

No snakes, but maybe a rat or three....

 

I have a similar problem.......I bought a 2 ton truck that was heaped full of hubcaps. Most are beat up. some good pairs or singles. Sold a few of the nicer ones at the swap meet. Scrap yard will pay 20 cents a pound for clean non magnetic stainless, the rest are pretty worthless.
Not sure what I'll do with them, but they need to go away....