Sometimes I will blog and go on for ages about an item - other times I will blog a few lines just because an item is special to me. On this occasion its the latter......

For some time now I have been after a Smoke Tree Ranch Logo Pin - however being limited to just 500 and the fact it sold out almost instantly made my mission close to impossible. My links to Smoke Tree go back nearly 15 years now and despite not being a 'Pin' collector this one was a must have.

I finally - after months of searching - got the chance to get one off eBay. 

This is now the second Disney Pin I own with the Smoke Tree Logo on - the other - a Woody from Toy Story one purchased last year.

Chances are the Smoke Tree Logo pin will get rarer as the years go on - however even if prices hit top dollar I have no plans to sell mine - some collectibles just need to be kept......

As always the hunt for items continues - I may not have as much time as I used to for finding bits and pieces on eBay however when I do find an item I want I make sure there is a reminder in my calendar to pick it up.

This was the case with a recent purchase which saw me acquire an item I had never seen before - a display from the Back to the Future Happy Meal series (including toys).

McDonalds Happy Meals are a great collecting area with demand on popular lines on eBay seeing top prices - Despicable Me Minions and Smurfs are recent examples of lines that people want.

In 1992 McDonalds decided to launch a collection which tied in with the animated series of the classic movie Back to the Future.

Marty, Doc, Jules, Vern and Einstein all got the Happy Meal treatment.

Interestingly the Doc toy actually got pulled from the line due to the fact the wheels could come off the DeLorean easily and thus was classed as a choking hazard - this however didn't stop thousands of these already being sold so they don't prove too hard to find even now.  

Anyway.....

Picking up this item saw me get into a slight bidding war - and there is no denying its seen better days however regardless my plan will be to put it into a display case and keep safe from further damage.

A few close up shots from the item are below -

These toys can be picked up on auction sites and at car boots even now - the Happy Meal boxes from them can also be found - however I haven't seen a display like this sold before - I am not even sure if any others even exist?

Sometimes, even if the item is a bit beat up, it has to be brought.

These kind of things don't show up too often, and I have learnt from past experience don't regret on missing out for the sake of a couple of pounds!

I'd love to hear from other McDonalds Happy Meal collectors about what lines they collect and if they have been able to obtain ex-display models at all......