Originally published on 9/11/14 at The Nerd In The Box (thenerdinthebox.com)

This past week, it was brought to my attention that the Travel Channel’s Toy Hunter will not be renewed for a fourth season. Rumor had it that the show was cancelled by the network, but with a bit of digging, I found that the show’s star, Jordan Hembrough, decided to move on to other opportunities as his contract had ended.

New Jersey native and toy collector Hembrough, was the star of Toy Hunter, a show that followed his toy collecting exploits as he rummaged through basements and attics all around the country in search of rare and valuable toys for his clients. Hembrough hunted down toys for the likes of Gene Simmons from KISS, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan, Vanilla Ice. Negotiating his way through deals with other professional collectors, and sometimes people that simply had boxes of old toys that they didn’t know what to do with, Hembrough walked away with huge scores, to resell at toy expos, his store Hollywood Heroes in northern New Jersey, or sometimes to keep for his own personal collection.

I had the pleasure of meeting this fine gentleman at New York City ComicCon in 2013, and sitting in on his panel where he explained how his love of toys began, and how he got into the toy hunting business. He walked the audience through the winding path that took him from collecting Star Wars toys as a kid to hunting down buried treasures for celebrities and other collectors alike. He was one of the few celebrities at the Con who was goodly enough to do a free meet and greet, and autographs, which was awesome.

The show was a blast, and on behalf of the toy collecting nation, I wish Jordan Hembrough the best on his future endeavors. He’s an inspiration to toy nerds the world over,  this one included.  Thank you, Mr. Hembrough.