/24-7PressRelease/ - DALLAS, TX, December 11, 2007 - Every
Memorial Day Weekend, fans journey to the [url=Indianapolis Motor Speedway[/url] to enjoy a tradition that dates back to 1909. The
Indianapolis 500 has become perhaps the greatest race in America, creating its own tradition and drawing 300,000 spectators. And despite the proliferation of T-shirts, mugs and other souvenirs, there's no race collectible more coveted among fans than Indy pit passes, which are small metal badges that go for a premium and are only available in limited supply.
Now fans who want to get up close and personal with these rare souvenirs don't need to wait until May - and they don't need to drive to Indianapolis.
DFW Elite Toy Museum.com has what many consider to be the most extensive collection of passes in existence today.
"This is certainly among the nicest collections of Indy pit passes anywhere," says
Rodney Ross, curator of
DFW Elite Toy Museum.com. "These passes are in fantastic condition. The oldest one - from 1938 - shows a little wear, but other than that, the collection is in amazing condition."
The
metal pit badges were first issued at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1938. Passes first began appearing in 1932, but were made of cardboard or pasteboard and tended to wear out quickly. So in 1938, Indy officials contracted St. Louis Button Co. to begin manufacturing the metal badges. Each year's badge is unique, and the DFW Elite Toy Museum's collection includes passes from 1938 through 1991.
The only badges missing from the sequence are those that should have been issued between 1942 and 1945. During those four years, the
Indy 500 was cancelled because of
World War II. Although this collection would be difficult to appraise because of its uniqueness, an inkling of the value can be gleaned from the recent sale of a single Indy pit badge from 1940 on
eBay for $3,807.
"These
Indy 500 pit badges are very highly collectible," Ross says. "We're very fortunate to have such an extensive collection."
Pat Hozza, a motor sports specialist and curator of the
Penske Racing Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona, said that if a larger collection of passes exists, he is not aware of it.
"To have one from every year dating back to when they started making Indy pit passes is extremely rare," Hozza says. "There's an extensive collectors market for those passes, and like anything collectible, some years are more valuable than others."
"To have them all together is highly unusual," continued the
Penske Museum Curator. "It's very probable that an Indy fan's only chance to see all these pit passes in one place is by visiting
DFW Elite Toy Museum in Fort Worth. When you go back to the early years, there just aren't many badges around anymore," Hozza says. "I don't know where else you could see something like this."
The collection of Indy pit passes can be seen along with the other rare and
antique toy cars in the Toy Museum inside
DFW Elite Auto Rental at 5940 Eden in
Fort Worth. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with weekend hours by appointment. In Fort Worth, call 817.838. RENT (7368); in Dallas call 214.247.4700. For more information, visit them online at
http://www.dfwelitetoymuseum.com.
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