Examining the values of vintage and collectible toys is an amazing process. Toys are highly sought by collectors for many reasons, not the least of which is nostalgia. After all, who doesn’t remember a favorite childhood toy, either one you owned or one you coveted? In one form or another, collectible toys nearly always make the top 20 lists of items sought or sold at auctions and antique fairs. Many of the more popular collectibles may bring back fond memories of your own childhood.
Wooden toys, especially trucks and cars, are always a big hit in antique malls – especially those that were handcrafted by well-known toy makers half a century or more ago. Similarly, diecast cars and trucks are also highly prized by many toy collectors. Franklin Mint diecast cars and trucks from the early 1900s are just one example.
Toys that commemorate a fictional character or a real personality are also popular collectibles. Space toys from the 1960s, Evel Knievel toys from the 1970s, Strawberry Shortcake, Holly Hobbie, Raggedy Ann and Andy, and Barbie dolls, along with Star Wars action figures and other collectibles are just a few examples of vintage toys that garner a great deal of interest from collectors.
In addition to actual toys, other vintage children’s items such as comic books and PEZ® dispensers are also considered collectible. There are many first-run edition comic books that have commanded prices well in excess of $1000 US Dollars. No small feat for something that would have cost a mere nickel brand new.
PEZ® dispensers, another hot collectible toy, surface as eBay listings by the thousands at any given time. Other items considered to be vintage or collectibles are tin toys and lunch boxes. Many rare wind-up toys made from tin and tin lunch boxes are amongst the most highly regarded varieties of collectible toys.
While collectible toys are no different than any other form of collectible item in that their values are mostly seen only by the collectors themselves, vintage and collectible toys are nostalgic and thus often possess a value far beyond the monetary kind. The internet has a wealth of information about the value and rarity of various collectibles and comprehensive price guides are available through online and brick and mortar book stores.