8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY AUGUST 10-16, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com 831 Like most college students, Tony Singer couldn’t afford his dream car. But he could visit the Porsche dealership. “They would give you a poster documenting their win at Nurburgring or LeMans,” he recalls. They decorated his apartment walls until the corners were completely pockmarked. Logan Gray also frequented dealerships, even before he was old enough to drive. He came away with a trove of the slick marketing brochures manufacturers produced for each model. As a child, Patrick Strong had to content himself with Hot Wheels. “I have been a car fanatic my entire life,” he explains. “Model cars serve as a standin for the real cars we’d like to own.” For all three, however, the art of courting future customers paid off. Strong operates Model Citizen Diecast, trading in high-end scale model cars. Gray first took to selling the old brochures at swap meets then branched out into hardcover publications, launching Vintage Motorbooks. Singer bought a Porsche in 1971. He also became hooked on automobile-related posters. “I have my personal poster collection that is all over my house,” Singer says. “We all have limited wall space.” He began selling to other collectors in 1980, a business that continues as vintageautoposters.com. But a comment from two fellow dealers inspired a more comprehensive venture. “These guys said, ‘Why don’t you do an event?’” he recalls. “What did I know about doing an event? But they were right.” Now in its 19th year, Automobilia Monterey is the nation’s signature automotive collectibles show. It features posters, of course, but also everything from historic photographs and other original art, to hood ornaments, books and other memorabilia. It has become a see-it-to-believe-it destination, a carnival midway of vendors and colors—Ferrari red, Mercedes silver, gleaming chrome, black-andwhite images, art deco pieces, dazzling fonts of magazine covers and more. “It’s my Black Friday,” Strong points out. “It’s the most important vending event in my calendar year.” For Automobilia Monterey, Singer brings together select dealers, who in turn cater to diverse interests. Before bringing a stock of books from his Portland, Oregon home, for instance, Gray checks out the featured classes at both Concours d’Elegance and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. “Interests shift,” he explains. “But I also find there are some subjects that will carry on. There’s always interest in Cobras and Shelby.” Gray, Strong and Singer continue to collect as well as to sell. Strong displays diecast Porsches on one wall of his Los Angeles area home. Singer is in pursuit of a 1926 poster celebrating the 24 Hours of LeMans (“you get this sense of motion and speed,” he observes. “It’s really quite something.”). Meanwhile Gray admits to limits. “The bookseller’s curse is to sit down and read a book when you should be doing something constructive,” he says with a laugh. While Strong deals in high-end diecast models—a Gerald Wingrove piece can cost as much as a real car—he appreciates a model with patina. “There’s something cool about an old toy that’s been played with,” he says. “When you’re talking about old toys, don’t forget they were toys. There’s something universal about diecasts. The little kid inside you still loves model cars.” In many ways, the appeal of automotive collectibles is in the memory of tacking posters to a wall or giving the Hot Wheels car a push. They remain enthusiasts at heart. Automobilia puts them in a group with equal passion—and money to spend. Yet Singer dismisses the idea of collecting as an investment. “My advice to people is to buy what you love,” Singer says. “You’re the person who is going to be seeing that piece. If it doesn’t rock you, what’s the point?” Automobilia Monterey takes place 10am-6pm Monday-Tuesday; 10am-4pm Wednesday, Aug. 14-16. Embassy Suites, 1441 Canyon Del Rey Blvd., Seaside. $20. 659-1551, automobiliamonterey.com. Making A Collection For those involved with Automobilia, the passion for valuables often had humble origins. By Dave Faries A booth set up for last year’s Automobilia Monterey. While collectors can find rare treasures—there are no reproductions sold at the event—organizer Tony Singer says “not everything is thousands of dollars.” “If it doesn’t rock you, what’s the point?” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE C/O AUTOMOBILIA
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