Collecting old toys has been mocked as a childish hobby. However, some items can reach hundreds of dollars in value. For a lot of people, collecting can be a lucrative business and a worthy investment. For example, in 2014 a copy of 1938’s Action Comics, which contains the first appearance of Superman, was sold on eBay for an impressive $3.2 million. The bid had started at 99 cents but now holds the record for the most expensive comic book ever sold.
Yet this item is far from unique. Although you might not see these below reach those values (for the moment, that is!) you might be surprised by what your childhood toy might be worth. Perhaps it’s time to go through those boxes in the garage!
Most Expensive and Sought-After Vintage Toys
We’ve created a list of the most popular vintage toys and where to find them (if you just happen to have a few bucks lying around!).
The original Tamagotchi was a 1990s hit. I remember mine, a blue egg with a cute dinosaur in it. A friend fed it ice-cream and it was no more. Recently, Tamagotchi made a comeback, however it’s the originals that collectors are after. Some rare ones have reached prices of over $3,000 on eBay, although most tend to be in the $40-$2000 range.
Barbie has been around for over sixty years. This gal has also broken records, with the most expensive Barbie ever sold reaching a whopping $302,500 (for a special edition designed by Canturi for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation). Barbie’s style and life have evolved with the times. The first was created in 1959 and presented at the New York Toy Fair in blond and brunette. The price then? $3.
Nintendo launched its Gameboy device in 1989 and opened the market to a whole generation of hand-held gadgets. Originally, the Gameboy had a cost of $89.99. If you try to sell yours today, you’re guaranteed to get a better price. For example, an original sealed console sold for over $2,000 on eBay. Most Gameboys, however, will be around $50 – but you might get lucky and find a special edition!
Furbys are still being sold like pancakes today. These electronic robots resemble a hamster or owllike creature and went through a period of strong “must-have” in the 2000s (they were also banned by the NSA in the 1999s because of security concerns, but that’s all water under the bridge now). And even the latest models can fetch a decent price only, for example, a “Rare New Kid Cuisine” model recently sold for $365 on eBay. Those in their original package, sealed or in mint-condition can easily reach that number.
The first generation (G1) of My Little Pony toys is among the most popular collectables. Mail order ponies and ponies in their original packaging can easily get to the hundreds, while special editions like Rapunzel have sold for over $2,000. Luckily, there are hundreds of more “common” ponies that can instantly take us back to our childhood, and they sell from anything between $3 and $30. Here at TGG we’re particularly adept to ponies, so if you like them too you should take a look at our MLP page:
The 1978 Luke Skywalker figurine is definitely a sought-after item. The figure came with a double-telescoping lightsaber and there are only 20 of them in the whole world. The reason this Luke is so rare is because Kenner pulled their production due to the lightsaber breaking easily. In 2015, a 1978 Skywalker figurine sold for $25,000, more than double what it was expected to reach originally. The chances of finding an affordable forgotten Luke on eBay are small, but you never know!
