Half the stock of perhaps the ultimate grail in NASCAR diecast collecting, Dale Earnhardt’s 1998 Brooks & Dunn prototypes, sold on eBay Sept. 7 for a staggering $9,900. The intrigue of this sale goes beyond the incredible price tag, however, as it includes a mystery that will likely never be solved and pays homage to the memory of an avid collector whose prized pieces will soon be in the hands of a new owner.

George Karalis and his prized diecasts

The three Brooks & Dunn prototypes sold were originally owned by George Karalis of Palm Harbor, Florida. His son, Costa Karalis, said his father was an avid diecast collector and massive Dale Earnhardt fan.

“He got into the hobby in the late 1990s,” Costa said. “He must have had over 300 diecasts on display in his office, really well-kept and displayed. When we were growing up, he could tell you about each car. He must have had about every Dale Senior car ever made.”

That collection included the ultimate in rare Earnhardt diecasts, one production prototype, a test 1/24 and a black-window bank proto of the never-released 1998 Brooks & Dunn Monte Carlo.

It was not publicly announced why the Brooks & Dunn Earnhardt cars weren’t produced outside of the six prototypes, though it is suspected the band’s logo used on the diecasts was licensed by concert promoters, which did not approve the licensing for Action to produce the diecasts. As such, the six prototypes of NASCAR’s most iconic driver are the ultimate grails of the NASCAR diecast collecting hobby.

Costa’s father had half of them and all who knew of George’s collection understood they were the prized pieces in his collection.

“He said these are the ones you grab if the house is on fire,” Costa said. “He kept these front and center in his collection.”

How George came into possession of the Brooks & Dunn prototypes is a mystery that will never likely be answered. George, a sales consultant at a BMW dealership in Florida, was tragically killed in 2012 when he fell from a golf cart while closing the dealership from the day, the Tampa Bay Times reported. He was 49.

“I was fairly young when he passed, 12, so I never asked about where [the Brooks & Dunn diecasts] came from,” Costa said. “I certainly wish I now could ask.”

George’s collection sat untouched for years. When Costa was in high school, the family chose to begin selling George’s collection out of necessity.

“We were in a financial tight spot, and I spent a long time cataloguing everything, trying my best to value them,” Costa said. “But when I got to these three [Brooks & Dunn cars], I couldn’t find any recorded sales. I didn’t find anything. I know he loved them and cherished them, but I didn’t know how to value them.”

Costa kept researching and eventually discovered the rarity of the prototype Earnhardt 1/24s. They were featured in Season 2, Episode 7 of Pawn Stars Do America, where they were appraised for $7,500. Costa declined the offer of $4,000 for the set.

But recently, Costa and his family decided to sell them. One production prototype recently sold for over $4,600. Karalis said another example selling the same week as him putting up his father’s trio is a “strange coincidence.”

‘I’d much rather have them go to someone who really appreciates them’

Costa said diecast collecting didn’t “rub off” on him, his mother or siblings, but he does collect comic books, so he knows what it means to be a collector.

“I know how much these cars meant to my father, and while I’m not a diecast collector, I know what it means to be in a passionate group of people who just love talking about their hobby with someone and knowing their niche well.”

Costa said that’s why when he and his family discussed selling the Brooks & Dunn diecasts, the consensus was the cars should go to an avid collector, someone as passionate about them as George Karalis.

“We all decided they needed to go a collector, someone who is going to appreciate them,” Costa said. “They’ve been sitting in a really nice spot in the house for over a decade, but I’d much rather them go to someone who really appreciates them.”

That plan seems to have to come to fruition with the Earnhardt diecasts selling for $9,900 on Sept. 7 with 28 bids from seven bidders.

“I ended up messaging with the buyer, and he seems to be a big collector who is very happy to have these in his personal collection,” Costa said. “It’s nice to hear it!”

As the diecasts are sent to their new owner, Costa hopes they will continue to keep his father’s memory alive.

“I know that my dad loved them very much, and he would have never let them go if he were alive,” he said. “But this sale will help my mom pay off some bills. It’s his way of still supporting us now.”