Old Collectible 80s and 90s Toys Worth Money

10/10

Pez Dispenser

No one bought Pez for the dispenser. However, that dispenser may be worth something today. In 2006, a Pez dispenser known as Astronaut B created for the 1982 World’s Fair fetched about $30,000 on eBay. Now, your ordinary dispenser at home may not get that much, but it could in the future, making the product worthy of our “Old Collectible 80s and 90s Toys Worth Money” list. You better hold on to it.

Quick Fact: Eduard Haas III invented PEZ peppermint candies in 1927 Vienna Austria.

9/10

Hot Wheels Models

The next old collectible 80s and 90s toys worth money are Hot Wheels models. Mattel released the Collector Number 271 in 1995. Many collectors considered it to be rarest Hot Model Wheel car from the 90s. Since it’s rare and is high on the collector’s list, the market has priced this model at $3,500— and has the potential of going even higher. We should note, though, that authenticators have only confirmed seven in existence so far. As cool as these toys are, maybe Mattel will make large-scale RC vehicles of their classic Hot Wheels one day.

Quick Fact: Mattel makes 519 million Hot Wheels every year.

8/10

Fake Action Figure

You know we’d mention Masters of the Universe series of action figures somewhere on the “Old Collectible 80s and 90s Toys Worth Money” list. The name of this figure may be Faker. However, he’s certainly not fake. He may not be too popular, but collectors are willing to shell out up to a thousand dollars to get an in-box version of this evil half-naked monster. We wish they’d sell these figures at Walmart and Target at a discounted price.

Quick Fact: This character first appeared in the Masters of the Universe toy lineup in early 1982.

7/10

Rare Pokémon Cards

Pokémon cards featured heavily in most people’s childhoods, and now they could potentially be worth thousands of dollars. In 2017, an extremely rare Pokémon card sold for about $54,970. A Charizard card from 1999 is also worth quite a bit of money and can potentially sell as high as $11,000.

Quick Fact: Pokémon Trading Card Game is the second best-selling card game in the world behind Magic: The Gathering.

6/10

Vintage Atari Cartridges

For a long time, there was a prevailing myth that said that Atari had buried hundreds of its game cartridges in the New Mexico desert in 1983. Most people ignored the legend because they couldn’t imagine that it would ever be true. But it was true. In all, 881 cartridges were recovered and they all went for the combined price of about $107,000 on eBay. Today, even single Atari Cartridges can go for hundreds of dollars.

Quick Fact: The best-selling game on the Atari 2600 console was a port of Pac-Man with 7,956,413 copies sold.

5/10

McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys

Children from all eras love McDonald’s Happy meal toys. In other words, it doesn’t matter if it’s the 70s or 90s, these toys have managed to define the childhood of many people. That’s probably why they have become quite popular collector’s items. They may even make you smile more today than they ever did if you manage to sell them on the collectors market. Some of the toys in good condition have sold for up to $140.

Quick Fact: McDonald’s first began selling Happy Meals in 1979.

4/10

Teddy Ruxpin

Teddy Ruxpin is a beloved animatronic bear that used to read kid stories. The bear was able to do this through an audio cassette player that’s built into its back. When the bear first got on the shelves, it was sold for about $500. Today, however, the original storytelling bear costs about $1,640.

Quick Fact: As of 2021, the Teddy Ruxpin brand has shifted through five different toy companies.

3/10

Peanut Royal Blue Elephant Beanie Baby

A manufacturing error resulted in Ty Inc only making 2,000 of these royal blue Peanut elephants. In other words, the error made these elephant beanie babies look way darker than normal— and it’s the reason they are now worth five thousand dollars a pop to collectors.

Quick Fact: In 1993, only nine beanie babies debuted at launch.

2/10

Vintage Strawberry Shortcake Dolls

The original dolls were released in the 80s, and only cost about a few bucks then. However, they’ve slowly seen things change for them, and they now command up to $500. The price is even higher for dolls that are still housed in their boxes.

Quick Fact: Creator Barbi Sargent initially created Strawberry Shortcake for greeting cards. However, it was Kenner Products that later licensed the character for a doll.

1/10

Rare Comic Books

Most boys love comic books until they grow out of them. Then they earn money and start collecting rare items, and they get into comic books again. It’s true that not all comic books from the 90s hold great value. However, it’s also true that some hold very high value, especially if they are in great condition. For example, “The Uncanny X-Men” #266 could be worth up to $400.

Quick Fact: Between 1993 and 1997, the speculator market for comics reached a dispersion point with a saturation of “collectible” and “gimmick” comics taking up store shelves. As a result, this issue was one of the leading causes of a significant industry crash, ending specialty stores and publishers and contributing to Marvel Comics bankruptcy.

See more great vintage and valuable childhood toys that could pay off your debt!