From Lego to Barbie & Hot Wheels cars – your kids' old toys could be worth THOUSANDS…so are you sitting on a goldmine?
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and the mad rush to make sure children get a visit from Santa is on.
There are some childhood toys and games that are valuable and there's no denying that certain gems could be worth £100s or £1000s in years to come.
Particularly when they are rare, and worth more the older they get!
Brandrated Investment and financial advisor Terry Booth said some Christmas toy gifts can actually have a lot of value.
He said: “For most of us with children, we buy for them in the hope they get the maximum amount of fun out of the toys.
“But for some, buying toys is a hobby that can result in big cash rewards in the future – but you have to know what you’re looking for.
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“If you understand how the market works you can grab yourself a bargain and sell it in the future for x10 the value, though the methods of how to increase your profit aren’t foolproof.”
Terry explained the main thing you’re looking for when buying collectors’ items is rarity, with three other important components following closely behind.
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He explained that you can have the most popular toy in the world, but if the company produced five million of them then it’s not going to increase in price as much as you’d hope.
He added: “The next is authenticity, which is self-explanatory.
''Finally, condition and age.
''If you want your item to increase in value, it needs to be kept in good condition.
“It’s a million-dollar question to know how and why some common gifts increase in value. Unfortunately, there’s no fool proof way of knowing what will and won’t take off in value.
“We can hazard a guess, and deduce from what’s happened in the past, but you can’t walk into a toy shop and walk out with an item that you know will be £1000 five years later.”
Terry explained some toys will always be sought after, such as limited edition cars, special edition Lego box sets and classic toys with slight or major defects.
Meanwhile fellow finance expert Kevin Pratt at Forbes Advisor UK added that research shows that common toys that may be worth a lot of money include pokémon cards, limited edition LEGO sets, model trains/cars, figurines of characters (including Funko Pops), Beanie Babies and Barbies.
He said: “Two decades after a particular toy is popular, the kids who have since become adults want to rekindle childhood memories, and therefore as the demand increases, as does the value of the toy.
“Limited edition toys are also often worth more initially, and in turn hold their [email protected]
The experts revealed the common toys kids have which could be worth lots of money in the future.
COMMON TOYS KIDS HAVE WHICH COULD BE WORTH MONEY IN THE FUTURE
Limited edition LEGO sets
Terry said Lego is already an expensive toy, so the idea of it increasing in value might seem wishful thinking, but it’s all about buying the right sets.
When Lego has pop culture tied in – like it has for the last few decades – e.g. Harry Potter, Star Wars and Ghostbusters, these sets are usually limited in number.
Terry referred to the famous example of the original LEGO Millennium Falcon (unopened) which sold for $16,000.
He said: “The key is buying Lego that is based around franchises which you know will continue to grow in popularity, and of course, keeping them unopened.”
Cards (such as Pokemon or Nintendo Animal Crossing)
Cards are already collectables in nature, so it’s not hard to work out that some will increase in value over time, said Terry.
But he added that trying to gauge which ones will go up in value is almost impossible, as the market is entirely built on supply and demand.
He said: “This year Pokemon cards increased in value solely because YouTubers began opening packets in their videos.
“The main thing is to keep them in good condition, preferably in plastic container sleeves.”
Funko Pop Bobbleheads
Another common toy that your kids have which could be worth a lot of money include the Funko Pop Bobbleheads, revealed Terry.
He said people probably assume that because these toys are everywhere at the moment that they would lose their value over time, but he said it’s all about buying the right ones.
He said: “There are some times throughout the year that Funko releases figures that are in limited numbers, such as some Simpson figures from the early 2010s.”
Fortnite figures/items based on video games
Terry said that in his opinion, a lot of the value in collecting toys is based on items that seem to be very male dominated.
He said: “I believe men hold onto their inner-child more than women, so tend to reminisce over toys they once had.
“Because of this, figures and items based around video games remain hugely popular.
''From Mario in the 1980s, Sonic in the 90s, to Halo in the 2000s – nostalgia on items centred around video games is big business.”
Hot wheels cars
Similarly, if you’ve been in a toy shop in the last 20 years, you will know that Hot Wheels cars are everywhere.
He said: “The most valuable tend to be ones based on real cars from classic eras, or around pop culture franchises.
“Toy collectors love rare items, and there is nothing rarer than a defective item that’s still in its packaging.
“From Pokemon cards with the wrong colours, to action figures with a misspelt name on the packets, if you have a defective item you could have a one of a kind in your home.”
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