I hope you’re sitting down … because, after hearing just how much your old toys are worth now, you may feel a little sick to the stomach. And wanting to disown your parents for selling your stuff in a garage sale.
Pokemon cards, Polly Pockets and even Beanie Babies are now selling for THOUSANDS of dollars on eBay.
Cue the curse words. And come find out which of these toys worth money – SERIOUS money – you used to own.
If you happen to be a hoarder or managed to convince your parents not to chuck all your toys away, then you may be sitting on a gold mine without even realising it. Here are a few of our childhood toys that are worth digging out of the attic.
1. Beanie Babies: $447,475
Beanies Babies were all the rage in the 90s. They were cute, colourful, cuddly and collectable. Honestly, what more could a little lady or lad want?
But as the Beanie Baby empire closed down and the Beanie Baby-loving generation headed off to Uni, many Beanie Babies were left collecting dust on the shelves.
Beanie Babies shut up shop (although TY Beanie Boos – the Beanie Babies with the large creepy eyes- still exist) and many people decided to cash in on their collections.
Not all Beanie Babies are worth a small fortune but many are, including Princess the Bear, a blue bear made in memorial of Princess Diana, which is selling for $US25,000. In the past, this model has sold for an impressive $350,000. Not bad for a tiny bear.
Other valuable Beanie Babies include Peanut the Royal Blue Elephant, Patti the Platypus (in magenta), Claude the Crab, Valentino the Bear and Peace/Garcia, the Bear, which is also selling for $US25,000. First generation Beanie Babies and ones with errors in the tags seem to also bring in the highest amounts.
2. Polly Pocket – $13,000
The itty bitty girl who lived in the itty bitty houses tucked in itty bitty shell-like plastic containers is now back, in a BIG way. While Polly Pocket still exists today, she doesn’t have the same charm as her vintage counterparts.
Thus, many Polly Pocketers of the past are spending their pay cheques on bringing the old school Polly back. Some vintage collections are selling for over a thousand buckeroos, like this Disney Aladdin Royal Palace going for $1500 or this Flower set going for US$1340. One Polly Pocket car recently sold for US$10,000!
Of course, there’s a catch. Buyers only want the uber-vintage sets, manufactured before 1998 when they were still made by British company Bluebird versus Mattel.
3. Pokemon Cards – $4475
When my son started asking for Pokemon cards for special occasions, I pretty much died. Why? Because between my brother and I, we would have had enough cards to cover Christmases and birthdays for years!
But, alas. MUM threw them away. And we lost thousands of dollars. Well, maybe.
Because, like all vintage toys, only certain Pokemon cards are considered valuable. They have to be first edition and in mint condition, which is going to be pretty rare considering the cards are 15 years old and most kids back in the day PLAYED with them rather than let them sit on a shelf looking pretty.
Anyhow, according to eBay, a mint condition 1st edition Charizard card is worth around US$3500. Which I would have used to treat the whole family to a holiday in Bali… even my toy-binning Mum.
Of course, there are heaps of other toys from our past that are selling for crazy amounts on eBay. Rare vintage Barbies are always going to bring in the big buck, as are certain action figurines and Transformers. Even old school Nintendo and Sega Genesis’s are considered valuable again, if they are in the right condition.
The moral of the story?
While it’s probably too late for our old toys, it’s not too late for our kids’! The next time you have a massive urge to cull, think twice. You may be throwing out thousands of dollars in 20 years’ time…
Looking for some more toy stories? Check out these godawful nightmare-inducing toys that are sure to scar your kids.
