Those old toys you still keep in storage might could be worth a nice chunk of change. It may just be a matter of remembering where to look.
Nordic sports-tech company Playfinity has partnered with online marketplace Catawiki for a nationwide treasure hunt. The companies say they want to "encourage Americans to explore their attics and garages in search of rare and valuable toys that may have been forgotten over the years."
Some such items could be worth millions but "it's not just about the potential financial value," the companies said in a news release on Monday. "It's also about celebrating the enduring virtues of traditional toys that have paved the way for a new era of gaming."
There's an increasing trend among consumers, particularly millennials, "being drawn to the cultural nostalgia of the toys that defined their childhood," Catawiki's in-house toy expert, Toby Wickwire, said in a statement."There’s also the investment element," Wickwire said. "Some old toys in mint condition can go for a pretty penny, especially when they are in great condition, they were very expensive when new and didn’t sell well, or have gained in popularity since they were made."
Wickwire compiled a list of the top 15 most valuable toys from the last century if you want to check those old boxes. Here they are:
Action Comics #1, first published in 1938, "is a highly sought rarity," Wickwire said, adding that the comic included Superman’s hero debut and was an immediate hit.
This particular comic book was sold in auction last year for $3.18 million, rocketing to a level rarely reached by any comic book, Wickwire said.
A never-opened copy of the game Super Mario Bros. was sold to anonymous buyer for $2 million in 2021, making it the “most expensive video game ever sold," Wickwire wrote.
A 1999 Pokémon base set first edition Holo Charizard set the record for the highest ever paid for a base Pokémon Charizard trading card when it was sold at auction for $420,000 in 2022 at the PWCC auction, the largest trading card marketplace in the world, Wickwire wrote.
It also set an all-time record for the third-highest price paid in a public marketplace for any Pokémon trading card, according to Wickwire.
The 1934 Lionel standard gauge train set with 400E locomotive was created by model train company Lionel, which has manufactured model trains and model railroading accessories since 1900, Wickwire wrote.
"While collectors do note some decline in the popularity of the hobby, collecting remains active online and new interest in model trains has emerged through model railroad Christmas products that draw on the power of nostalgia," Wickwire wrote.
This specific Lionel model was sold for $250,000 in 2016 by Stout Auctions Toy and Train Specialists, according to Wickwire.
G.I. Joe was marketed as the first doll for boys in 1964, entering public consciousness by that point.
The doll was modeled after a soldier, who came accompanied with various accessories. Bids for the handmade G.I. Joe began at $125,000, eventually selling for $200,000 at the Heritage Auction’s Entertainment and Music Memorabilia event in 2003, Wickwire wrote.
The 1979 Kenner Star Wars rocket-firing Boba Fett prototype was sold for more than $185,000 in October of 2019, according to Wickwire.
"This version was among the rarest of action figures in the world at that point," Wickwire said.
Machine Man, as the toy robot was named, was found by a man clearing out this mother’s estate. The man that found the toy suspected it had been there for about 60 years, Wickwire wrote.
The toy robot was sold for $159,900 in 2020, surpassing the estimated the $60,000 to $90,000 price tag. It was purchased by a private collector.
The 15-inch toy is believed to be one of the known survivors from Masudaya’s revered postwar robot quintet known collectively as the "Gang of Five," Wickwire wrote. To find any of those toy robots is rare, but to find Machine Man is rarer still. The toy was made for one year and had to be specially ordered from an importer, according to Wickwire.
Fewer than a dozen still exist today, Wickwire wrote.
The Guinness Book of World Records previously crowned the Tipp & Co Mickey Mouse Motorcycle as “the most desirable and expensive Disney toy," according to Wickwire.
The clockwork motorcycle carrying both Mickey and Minnie was sold for $110,000 in October 2000 to collector Donald Kaufman in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The piece was made around the late 1920s by the German toy manufacturer Tipp & Co, Wickwire wrote.
Kenner Star Wars action figures, Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi were sold for a combined total of more than $100,000. The action figures were created by toy manufacturers Kenner in 1978, a year after the first release of the "Star Wars" films, according to Wickwire.
The figures, including Luke Skywalker, initially came with double telescoping lightsabers in their right hands. The toymakers later decided to make the accessory simpler, which makes them "incredibly rare” today, Wickwire wrote.
No. 1 and No. 2 Ponytail Vintage Barbie dolls were introduced to the world on March 9, 1959. However, collectors tend to keep their eyes peeled for the former because it's “almost impossible to find in great shape," Wickwire wrote.
This Barbie in particular was sold for $27,450 in 2006.
The mail-order promotional toy has the famous Optimus Prime transforming from Pepsi tractor-trailer into a robot. The Generation 1 Autobot leader was sold for $16,685 in 2021.
The GI Joe USS Flagg Aircraft Carrier, sold for $15,570 in 2022, was inspired by the U.S.S. Nimitz.
When Hasbro officially released the toy in 1985, it retailed for $109.99. The aircraft carrier was considered the biggest playset ever marketed to boys as it measured 7 feet and 6 inches in length, according to Wickwire.
The Millenium Falcon crafted by Lego was an ultimate collector’s item, selling for $500 when it was released in July 2007. The 5,197-piece Lego set includes Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca, and Princess Leia.
The set sold for $15,000 in 2014.
Nasty Nick was a trading card that was part of a line of trading cards called Garbage Pail Kids that was produced in 1985 by Topps, an American company that manufactures trading cards and other collectibles.
The cards parodied the family-friendly Cabbage Patch Kids, showcasing artwork of kids vomiting, gorging themselves on junk food, smoking and wielding weapons, among other destructive behaviors, according to Wickwire.
"On the reverse of the card, there can be found a joke-style award certificate which encouraged children to skip school, stay up late to watch TV, and lie and drive erratically," Wickwire wrote.
The Nasty Nick card was sold for $11,941 in 2021. The first cards in each subseries like Nasty Nick and Evil Eddie are “very desirable," Wickwire wrote.
The last item on the list, which is a Hot Wheels "Beach Bomb" prototype, has not been sold at auction but is estimated to be worth around $150,000.
The Beach Bomb was Hot Wheels’ version of a Volkswagen Microbus that came with a pair of surfboards and is said to be only one of two that still exists, according to Wickwire. Only 144 of these prototypes were ever made since the design “was too top heavy and wouldn’t work with Mattel’s Supercharger that shot the toy cars at high speed," Wickwire wrote.
The owner of this model, Bruce Pascal, owns over 3,500 of these miniature toy cars, including over 175 unique never-before-released Hot Wheels prototypes, according to Wickwire.
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