At auction recently, boxes and boxes of Hess trucks and more were stacked nearly two feet high across two long tables against the back wall of one room. All in their original boxes, neatly preserved by a careful collector.
The trucks were in the box-lot room, where most of the junk is sold: glassware, books, exercise equipment, cheap pictures, refrigerators, old golf clubs and more. The Hess trucks, though, stood out because there were so many of them and they appeared to be in very good condition.
The Hess products were from the 1990’s to 2000’s, and included trucks, tankers, helicopters, patrol cars, racers and more. Interspersed among them were Gulf, Texaco, Mobil, Crown and Sunoco trucks. There were also a WaWa rig and Dunkin’ Donuts toy truck.
The auction got started with the mundane items near the front of the room. Midway through the row of tables, one of the auctioneers began moving the Hess trucks from the back table to a table up closer to us bidders. He arranged them mostly in lots, a few singly. Most of the bidders were men, and they scooped up the trucks at bargain-basement prices (I learned later, after Googling, how much they sell for individually).
I also learned via Google that the most expensive trucks may not have been among this collection. The premier truck was the first one, a 1964 Mack B tanker that can fetch up to $1,000 or more in mint condition. The tanker, which sold for $1.29 to $1.39 back then, could be filled with water and emptied through a delivery hose. The tanker was introduced by the founder of the company, Leon Hess, as an affordable toy for families. Here’s a 1964 Hess ad, along with a photo of the tanker, from the blog of Albany Times Union writer/photographer Chuck Miller. The Hess company produced a replica of the tanker in 1982-83.
The company Ray’s Toy Trucks was selling an original tanker for $950 and a 1966 Voyager ship for $1,500. It was selling trucks from the 1990’s to 2000’s for $30 to $50, depending on the truck. Prices varied on Ebay, with trucks from the 1980s fetching up to $90 while few of the later ones sold.
In 1998, Hess began making a series of miniature trucks, the first a toy tanker truck with working headlights and tail lights. In 2000, it produced a mini replica of a truck that the founder used to deliver fuel in 1933 (it’s similar to the 1964 truck).
Hess trucks are a huge collector’s item (interestingly, I couldn’t find a collectors club). Googling the words “Hess truck” pulled up thousands of pages of truck sales, collections, parts and more. The company has made fire trucks, tankers, training van, truck and racer, 18-wheeler and racer, truck and helicopter, emergency rescue, and monster. This website of a private collector and seller has a rundown of vehicles by year.
The Hess company’s float in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade heralds the arrival of the new model, which may not necessarily be a truck. The 2009 vehicle was a race car and racer that sold for $24.99. The trucks are still sold through the stations, while entrepreneurs snatch them up and sell them for more online.
At the auction, buyers seemed to have gotten a bargain:
A sampling:
Lot of 6 patrol cars and racers: $7 each.
Lot of 15 trucks – $9 each.
Lot of 6 trucks – $3.25 each.
Lot of 11 trucks – $1.50 each.
Now I know what to look for the next time I see Hess trucks at auction. The wonders of discovery!
