Matchbox celebrates 10 years at the AACA Museum

Hershey, PA – What was your first car? Chances are it was a Matchbox! Diecast collectors and newcomers to the hobby are invited to the 10th Annual Matchbox Collector’s Show, presented by the Diecast Toy Exchange, on Sunday, Sept. 22, from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM at the AACA Museum, Inc.

Two custom limited-edition Matchbox vehicles will be released exclusively at this year’s show – a 911 Turbo and a colorful tractor-trailer. Both vehicles feature the Roman numeral “X” to commemorate this show’s 10th anniversary. Minimal quantities of these “X vehicles” were produced, and they will only be available at the show while supplies last.

Unreleased Matchbox vehicles and artwork from the 1990s will also be featured.

Dozens of vendors will sell items spanning the entire history of Matchbox – from the brand’s first cars in the 1950s to present-day models, with everything in between. More than 90 display tables will make this the biggest and best Matchbox show in Hershey in the last decade.

Interested vendors can contact Wayne at (717) 318-4073 or Ron at (717) 880-1772, or they can e-mail diecasttoyexchange@hotmail.com.

Guests can transition from miniature cars and trucks to full-sized vehicles in the AACA Museum’s exhibits. Learn about the history of automobiles from the 1890s through the 1980s while comparing them to their much-smaller counterparts.

To keep your visit affordable for the whole family, a special admission price of just $7 per person (ages four and older) gets you into both the Matchbox Collector’s Show and the AACA Museum. Children under the age of three are admitted free.

Current featured exhibits on view at the AACA Museum include Studebaker Cool: 114 Years of Innovation; Harley-Davidson the History, Mythology, and Perceptions of America’s Motorcycle; a Pontiac-Oakland Keystone State Region display; and Raymond Loewy: A Retrospective. These featured exhibits are on display through Oct. 20.

About the AACA Museum, Inc.

The AACA Museum, Inc., a Smithsonian Affiliate, displays beautifully restored automobiles, buses, and motorcycles in unique lifelike scenes representing the 1890s through 1980s on a cross-country journey from New York to San Francisco. As one of the largest automotive museums in the country, AACA Museum, Inc., features special exhibits that change several times a year and focus on a variety of eras and types of vehicles.

 The AACA Museum, Inc., has been and remains an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, not affiliated with The Antique Automobile Club of America. 

The Museum is in South Hanover Township, just off Route 39 and one mile west of Hersheypark Drive in Hershey, Pa. Regular admission is $12.50; seniors age 61 and older, $11.50; juniors age 4 to 12, $9.50; and children age three and under, free. Admission is also free to AACA Museum, Inc., members and Antique Automobile Club of America members with a current membership card. During Matchbox day on September 22, everyone will be granted a special admission price of just $7.00 per person.

The Museum is open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Museum is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. For more information, call (717) 566-7100 or visit www.AACAMuseum.org.