Found a box full of Johan Cadillac promo cars

[RandomRisotto]

Hey all, found this forum doing some research on these cars after seeing some can be worth quite a bit of money. Found a box with about 30 of them in it. My grandfather owned a Cadillac dealership starting in the 60's and I remember playing with these (maybe not exact ones) at his house. There is also a box with 10 in box ones from 1976 in all different colors. The box that those were shipped in actually has the shipping label from JoHan itself. My questions are, what makes some more valuable then others? Paint color? Year? Model? Would the be worth selling now or hanging on to them? Are there any lists out there that has the complete set of cars/models/colors? The dates range from 1965 to 1979. Thanks for your help!

[Chuckyg1]

There not worth anything, please send them to. I'll even pay shipping costs. Seriously, nice find but I have no idea of their value. Gotta be a bunch though.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Nice score.

Looks to me like some have squashed roofs / damaged A-pillars. I hope that's not the case.

 

[Daddyfink]

Put them on ebay as you seem not to have much attachment to them. 

[RandomRisotto]

Ya looks like there's some damage to a few of them, kinda to be expected, they have been sitting in on top of each other for 30+ years in a box!

[StevenGuthmiller]

Value of a promo, (for a collector) is going to be dependent on a number factors, the most important of which is going to be condition.

Promos are generally rated on a scale, (I believe this being a scale of one to ten, ten being the absolute pinnacle, to one, being damaged pieces)

A ten will generally be a pristine example, exhibiting a perfect finish throughout with no visible damage of any kind, and the rating goes down from there.

There are also a number of other factors that come into play.

Original boxes are a big plus, rarity of the model itself, and in some cases, rarity of color can all determine value.

Just my opinion, but if the model car kit market is indicative in any way with the promo market, now is a good time to consider selling if they have no particular personal interest to you.

That said, I see no indication that prices of promos or kits will not continue to increase exponentially in the years to come.

 

 

 

Steve

[RandomRisotto]

13 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Value of a promo, (for a collector) is going to be dependent on a number factors, the most important of which is going to be condition.

Promos are generally rated on a scale, (I believe this being a scale of one to ten, ten being the absolute pinnacle, to one, being damaged pieces)

A ten will generally be a pristine example, exhibiting a perfect finish throughout with no visible damage of any kind, and the rating goes down from there.

There are also a number of other factors that come into play.

Original boxes are a big plus, rarity of the model itself, and in some cases, rarity of color can all determine value.

Just my opinion, but if the model car kit market is indicative in any way with the promo market, now is a good time to consider selling if they have no particular personal interest to you.

That said, I see no indication that prices of promos or kits will not continue to increase exponentially in the years to come.

 

 

 

Steve

Thanks for that info. They don't have much of personal interest to me, I had no idea we even had them until recently. Any idea if there's a list of colors floating around anywhere? I'm sure I can match some of them up with what's on ebay. Are the color names the same as the actual car colors?

[Tom99]

That is an awesome find!

[bobss396]

Some colors are rarer than others thus will bring a higher price.

Look on eBay to get an idea on pricing. Take a small amount of them and put them up for bidding, set a reserve. Offer free shipping which is always attractive. 

[von Zipper]

Is Joe Wheat still around ? 

There are a couple of cars in your collection that are at the high end with promo collectors .

[iBorg]

Quote

Just my opinion, but if the model car kit market is indicative in any way with the promo market, now is a good time to consider selling if they have no particular personal interest to you.

That said, I see no indication that prices of promos or kits will not continue to increase exponentially in the years to come.

I totally agree. The promo market is graying. Those cars are all from 50 years ago. They're like a lot of hobby items, the hobby ages out and the value plummets. I think now you have good value there. I didn't see a car that I think would bring less than a $100. Don't flood the market. Sell two or three at a time but unless they have value to you, sell now. I say this as I'm trying to help my Mom (93) downsize. Her Hummel collection will sell for pennies on the dollar or less. My Father's HO trains will clutter my garage until I find someone who I can almost give them to. Both are hobbies that have grayed out.

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

2 hours ago, iBorg said:

The promo market is graying.

I have no first hand knowledge of what's happening at this moment in the promo market, but vintage kits have virtually exploded within the past decade.

I don't have any indication that that will continue, but it also shows no signs of slowing at the moment.

Models that could be had 6 or 8 years ago for $100.00 or less, now routinely sell for 2 to 3 times that much, depending on subject, rarity and producer.

But how that translates to the promo market, which is more geared toward the collector's market rather than the model builder's, is anyone's guess I suppose.

 

 

 

Steve

[Falcon Ranchero]

JoHan kits, in general, are extremely rare and as such, are usually extremely pricey to buy; especially when in mint condition. If it were me who found those, I would be tickled pink to have such a find, and would most likely add detail to them; essentially make the cars look more authentic, though I know some collectors would be shocked at that as they usually want them for their un-touched originallity. But to sell, I would imagine you have quite a fortune in your hands. Lucky.  

P.S. If you do keep them, they would make for an awesome diorama of a vintage Cadillac Dealership

Edited September 18, 2024 by Falcon Ranchero

[StevenGuthmiller]

21 hours ago, RandomRisotto said:

Thanks for that info. They don't have much of personal interest to me, I had no idea we even had them until recently. Any idea if there's a list of colors floating around anywhere? I'm sure I can match some of them up with what's on ebay. Are the color names the same as the actual car colors?

I believe that they usually adhered pretty closely to at least the names of the colors, although I couldn’t tell you how closely the colors actually matched. 
As far as finding information on promo colors, I suppose there’s a possibility that there could be a Facebook group or some other forum or board dedicated to such subjects, but I couldn’t direct you to them.

I suppose some Google searching might shed some light on that.

 

 

 

Steve

[thatz4u]

this might help, check completed items, prices in green, to see what they actually sold for...

Jo-Han Promos for sale 

[gtx6970]

I used to dabble in dealer promos.  The best rule to follow is the older it is , the more valuable it can be. Not necessarily will be in every case .

Also, Convertibles can / usually bring more than hardtops , Again not written in stone. This is where colors condition and boxes come into play.

 

Ebay sold sales can be an excellent place to look. But use it as a guide not a bible.

 

Some cars sell for more can be simply the right person at right time was looking for that particular car in that particular color

Dont put a lot of value is non sold cars with big asking prices. Ive seen some cars sit for years and not sell because its been priced so far out of line. They are simply looking for a buyer who has an attachment to a particular car / color etc etc 

[gtx6970]

Narrowed the list down

As a general rule Cadillacs are not big money promos

 

Jo-Han Promos Cadillac for sale | eBay

[Perspect Scale Modelworks]

Nice find. Try this group on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/KUQ91mNZAzgx3LJT/?mibextid=oFDknk