As Gary McIntosh opened the door to his office space at McIntosh Booth Insurance in Iola, a plethora of toy cars dotted the floor as far as the eye could see.
“There’s quite a few of them,” laughed McIntosh, realizing the understatement.
The large lot of diecast and collectible vehicles were arranged neatly in boxes in preparation for what was to come — a benefit auction.
“A quick count shows there are over 2,800 diecast vehicles, plus other related items,” said John Scovill, auctioneer and owner of Estates and More. “Over 500 lots will be sold in the auction.”
Scovill has been busy sorting through the massive collection, separating them into smaller lots, photographing them, and uploading them to the auction site.
The impressive collection was donated by McIntosh’s brother-in-law, Thomas Matthew Nyquist, a retired postal worker who resides in Topeka. Nyquist has collected the assortment of toy vehicles for 25 years.
The motivation behind the auction is twofold. Nyquist has a soft spot in his heart for animals and saw an opportunity to part with his collection for a good cause. The intention is to donate the money raised via the auction towards an endowment for Allen County Animal Rescue Facility (ACARF). “An endowment will collect interest each year, which will go towards ACARF,” explained McIntosh.
To maximize the donations, McIntosh noted that the auction company will hold the check until Your Community Foundation’s annual Day of Giving. The annual event begins on Giving Tuesday — the Tuesday after Thanksgiving — and extends to Dec. 15. Using this strategy will help ensure matching funds for the donation.
IN 2023, a total of $50,961 in donations was raised for the Raymond C. McIntosh Endowment Fund for ACARF during the annual giving event.
This fund is in memory of McIntosh’s late brother Raymond C. McIntosh. “The plan is for the money from this auction to either go into my brother’s endowment, or Thomas will create a new one,” said McIntosh.
“We’ve had $2,500 in bids so far,” he continued. “Most bids occur in the last five days.”
McIntosh added that some items are heavily sought-after, including what he calls “redline” Hotwheels. “It’s similar to what we know as whitewall tires, except they’re red,” he said. Currently, a set of four have a bid of $93.
The collection includes vintage Hot Wheels, Matchboxes, and Johnny Lightnings — cars and trucks of bygone eras, including muscle cars, race cars, hot rods, and motorcycles. All items are still sealed inside their packages, except for the 1960s Hot Wheels redlines and an assortment of the Matchbox cars. “These are keen replicas of classy cars,” said Scovill.
The auction is online only and can be accessed at www.midwest.auction. It is ongoing and will close at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 6.
