How rare is a Super Treasure Hunt?

Mattel does not publish numbers, but collectors track roughly one Super per five to ten mainline cases, which puts most releases in the low tens of thousands worldwide.

Do Super Treasure Hunts still have a green stripe?

No. The green stripe was retired in 2013. Today the flame logo on the card plus Real Riders and Spectraflame paint identify a Super.

Is a Treasure Hunt worth keeping carded?

For resale, yes — a mint card typically adds 30 to 60 percent over the same car loose, provided the blister is uncracked and the card corners are sharp.

Super Treasure Hunt Guide: How to Spot an STH in the Wild

The short version

A Super Treasure Hunt (STH) has three tells: rubber Real Riders tires, Spectraflame paint that glows under light, and the small flame logo next to the model name on the card. A regular Treasure Hunt (TH) only has the flame logo. The green stripe people still look for was dropped back in 2013.

TH vs. STH in one minute

Both are packed into ordinary mainline cases, roughly one TH per case and one STH per 5 to 10 cases depending on the run. The regular TH is a standard mainline car with plastic wheels and normal paint, marked only by the flame logo behind the model name. The Super is the premium build: metal base, Real Riders and Spectraflame paint. On a card that is still sealed, the paint finish is your fastest tell — Spectraflame looks like translucent candy over polished metal, never flat.

Checking a car loose

Flip it over. Most STH castings carry a small TH badge on the base, and the base itself is metal on almost every release since 2013. Then look at the tires: Real Riders have a visible rubber tread and a separate wheel hub, while mainline wheels are one molded plastic piece. If the tires are plastic, it is not a Super, no matter how good the paint looks.

What it is worth in the US market

Loose Supers of popular castings — Datsun, Porsche, Civic, Bronco — routinely trade in the 25 to 60 USD range, carded examples higher. Anything sold as an STH without visible Real Riders is either mislabeled or a fake, and that is the single most common problem in online listings. Ask for a base photo before you pay.

Where the fakes come from

The usual scam is a repainted mainline with aftermarket rubber wheels swapped in. Look for glue residue around the rivets, drilled or reshaped rivet posts, and paint that pools in the panel lines. Factory Spectraflame is even across curves; rattle-can respray never is.

FAQ

How rare is a Super Treasure Hunt?: Mattel does not publish numbers, but collectors track roughly one Super per five to ten mainline cases, which puts most releases in the low tens of thousands worldwide.
Do Super Treasure Hunts still have a green stripe?: No. The green stripe was retired in 2013. Today the flame logo on the card plus Real Riders and Spectraflame paint identify a Super.
Is a Treasure Hunt worth keeping carded?: For resale, yes — a mint card typically adds 30 to 60 percent over the same car loose, provided the blister is uncracked and the card corners are sharp.

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Last updated: 2026-09-01