Matchbox trucks make nice addition to office

I've long heard and respected the phrase "Power of the Press." Undoubtedly, you have as well.

It wasn't until this week that I learned that expression could come complete with wheels and a die-cast metal body.

That's all thanks to Jim Tulett, a Clovis resident who's been collecting Matchbox vehicles for almost 60 years.

Jim called and told me that he had some items in his vast collection that I might be interested in. He had me hook, line and sinker when he said they had something to do with newspapers.

I was certainly open to the idea of getting a chance to check out these vintage newspaper delivery trucks from across the world. I'm not a collector — really of anything — so I was pretty sure that taking him up on his offer of buying the set probably wouldn't happen.

That is, until I saw them in person when he brought the trucks to our office this past week.

They were Matchbox Collectible's Power of the Press Models of Yesteryear series that included replicas of delivery vehicles for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, London Times, the Australian, Pravda, Le Figaro and the Berliner Morgenpost.

Each was in mint condition and in their original boxes from when the set was released in 1995. Each package carries a short story about the history of that respective publication — in three different languages. The models are quite colorful and certainly a conversation piece.

The blue van for the New York Times even carried an image of the Big Apple's skyline that included images of the Twin Towers. Remember, these were released in 1995, half a dozen years before the September 11 attacks.

I'm so glad that Jim thought of me when considering parsing out some his collection. He turns 80 in a few weeks, but you'd never know it though — he's still a kid at heart.

We quickly worked out a deal and I'm now the proud owner of the series.

With apologies to Jim and other collectors out there, these trucks won't be staying in their pristine boxes.

I'll be looking around this week for some type of case so I can display them in my office. I want others to have an opportunity to see these gems.

If you want to check them out in person, too, come on by.

Rob Langrell is the publisher of The Eastern New Mexico News. Contact him at: [email protected]