I’ve Met My Match
The Matchbox Man, 2021
Gorman Bechard has made a wide range of “Connecticut movies,” from schlock horror to documentaries. This 21 minute doc hardly qualifies as a “Connecticut movie,” yet… here we are. I’m only documenting the documentary because of its subject matter: a Connecticut museum.
Charlie Mack’s Matchbox & Lesney Toy Museum in Durham to be specific. It’s an informative and very well-produced little flick, available on YouTube and Tubi (in 2024 anyway). Heck, you can watch the whole thing here:
And you really should. Charlie Mack is a unique and mildly eccentric guy who lives in Durham amidst his massive collection of Matchbox cars and related merchandise. At the time of the filming, which was within months of my own visit, his collection stood around 42,500 Matchbox cars. By 2024 he was up to about 44,000. It’s extraordinary to say the least.
As you’d expect, the film delves into the history of Matchbox and highlights Charlie’s rarities and most expensive models. But for me, the most interesting bits are the questions surrounding the “hows” and “whys” behind the collection and museum. Those are the questions I often explore when I visit and write about these types of “singular obsession” museums. While visiting them often results in my fondest CTMQ memories and some of my favorite pages to write, I sometimes find myself staring into the mirror a bit.
Charlie Mack
When asked “why,” Charlie says he’s not really sure why he got obsessed the way he did. Sure, collecting the cars themselves was cool, but then he “had” to have everything Matchbox branded; games, dolls, clothing, etc. In his words, “I just got carried away.”
I get that. As a completist with this website, I feel that. I started out just chronicling my visits to museums. Then I added CFPA trails. Then wineries. Then breweries. On and on until today I list pretty much every possible thing of interest in the state, including 21 minute documentaries. In other words, yes, “I got carried away.”
Fortunately for me, my obsession is pretty darn cheap. I can spend an entire day doing “CTMQ stuff” an not spend a dime beyond gas money. Charlie Mack, however, isn’t quite so lucky. In fact, he had to sell $25,000 worth of his collection in order to pay his bills. Since then, he’s rebounded and has built it up again to the point of having one of the top five Matchbox collections in the world. (I think. Close enough anyway).
It’s a neat little film, and one that could be made for dozens of similar folks I’ve met around the state. Heck, maybe I’ll be the subject of similar someday.
Actually, blergh. Let’s hope not.
CTMQ Rating: 5 out of 5 thumbs up
Connecticutness: 169 out of 169 Nutmegs
Filmed in Connecticut? Yes
Wealthy Caucasian with a Big House? No
Connecticut Movies
My visit to Charlie Mack’s Matchbox & Lesney Toy Museum
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