27 Silly Things from Childhood Worth Tons of Money Today Best Life
The last thing on any child's mind when they go to the toy store is the future resale value of their desired teddy bear or action figure. For the most part, kids tend to drool on and drop their toys so much that there's little to no chance of reselling them anyway—but in certain lucky circumstances, children will take good care of their belongings, and may even find out decades down the road that they're actually worth something.
If you happened to hold on to your old Barbie dolls and Polly Pockets and they're in good condition, then you might be surprised to learn that those silly vintage toys are actually worth a pretty penny today. Herein, we've rounded up some childhood relics that remain valuable. And for more things that you might be able to sell, check out the 27 Hidden Treasures That Could Be in Your Attic Right Now.
Of course, not every vintage yearbook is actually worth tons of money. But if you happened to go to school with someone who's now famous, and if they happened to sign your yearbook, then yes, you might actually be able to sell it. Someone who went to school with none other than James Dean, for instance, is currently selling their yearbook online for just over $10,500.
Good news and bad news. The bad news is that, unfortunately, most of the Beanie Babies you collected during your childhood are worthless. The good news? Hiding among your valueless stuffed animals could be one of the several rare or collector's edition Beanie Babies, like the Princess Diana bear, which people will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for. And if you're looking to start a collection of your own, here's tips on How to Start a Wine Collection By the World's #1 Wine Expert.
Masters of the Universe was a popular media franchise in the 1980s, centered around He-Man and his nemesis Skeletor. Much of the franchise focused on action figures, which today sell online in the thousands.
Since its creation in 1959 by Ruth Handler, the Barbie doll has been a popular toy amongst kids of all ages and genders. And though Barbies are still made today, some of the older and rarer models, like the first-ever Barbie doll or the Karl Lagerfeld Platinum Label Barbie, are so high in demand that people are willing to pay thousands of dollars for them.
What kid who grew up in the '70s could forget playing their with Lite Brite? Unfortunately, though, you'll have to pay a steep fee if you ever want to relive the glory days, seeing as this game now goes for hundreds of dollars online. And if you grew up back when Lite Brite was popular, you'll get a kick out of these 20 Photos Only Kids Who Grew up in the 1970s Will Understand.
The most valuable Polly Pockets are the one-inch dolls specifically made between the years of 1989 and 1998, back when Bluebird Toys was a company and owned the rights to the doll's likeness. These vintage toys and accessories are sought out by collectors, who will pay hundreds of dollars for everything from the Crown Castle Princess Treasures to the Musical Dream Wedding.
Though there's certainly something eerie about talking owl robots, kids went crazy for them upon their initial release in 1998—so crazy, in fact, that at one point they were even selling in store for as much as $300. Today, you'll find the vintage birds selling online for around that same price, and some special edition ones will even get you as much as $750.
In the mid-1980s, the Garbage Pail Kids trading cards were so popular that many schools had to ban them. Of course, many kids chose to use their trading cards as stickers on their binders or bedroom walls, but if you were one of the few who kept theirs in mint condition, then you can sell them online for quite a bit more than you paid back in the day. An original "Adam Bomb" card, for instance, is worth as much as $420. And for more ways to pad your bank account, don't miss the 20 Easy Ways to Stop Wasting Money.
Few games are more infuriating than Monopoly, but, evidently, there are people out there who collect vintage and limited edition versions of the board game anyway. The Trump Entertainment Resorts version is in highest demand, with the collector's edition board selling for up to $1,600. And if you're more of a Scrabble person, then Own Scrabble with These 43 Words That Start with X.
Evidently, there are some miniature cars with no motors out there that are worth more than actual automobiles. This 1987 pink Porsche Hot Wheels, for instance, is currently on sale for $3,800, whereas you can buy a used Toyota for less than $1,000.
What gives these talking bears their value is the fact that the original was only ever sold for four years, seeing as its parent company, Worlds Of Wonder, went out of business in 1988. There are many different versions of the bear on the market today, but if you happen to have one of the originals, you can sell it for as much as $400.
It's unlikely that you have a copy of this Atari 2600 game sitting around, but if you do, then you're sitting on a goldmine. Allegedly somewhere between 10 and 15 copies of this game exist, and the last time there was one for sale it fetched nearly $350.
So what makes this robot in disguise so valuable? Well, when the Transformers action figures first came out in the 1980s, all of the other robots kept being produced, but Optimus Prime was so complicated to make that he only ever got one release. Several versions of the leader of the Autobots exist today, but the original version is still highest in demand, with a price tag of up to $1,100.
First published in English in 1970, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is considered to be one of the most important works to have emerged from the Latin American Boom, but that's not what makes it so valuable. When it was first published, the dust jacket of the book had a misprint—just an exclamation point where a period should have been—and today, that improper punctuation is worth thousands of dollars. And if you want to expand your literary knowledge, then check out The 30 Best-Selling Novels of All Time.
Believe it or not, Pez dispensers have been around since before World War II. As a common collectible, Pez dispensers are always worth something, and the rarer and older they are, the more you can sell them for.
You may not have paid anything extra for your many Happy Meal toys, but that doesn't mean that they're completely worthless. Since McDonalds only gave out so many of each toy, they are considered rarities with real value, with one on sale for a staggering $7,500.
This rare version of the Tamagotchi is especially precious and pricey, with brand new condition ones selling on eBay for just under $1,000.
The magic of the Harry Potter franchise will never die, and neither will its value. Should you happen to own a first edition of any of the seven books, you can easily sell it for thousands of dollars, and the UK version of the first book in particular can go for as much as $55,000. And if you love the boy who lived, then check out the 35 Ways Harry Potter Is Still Crazy Relevant.
Anyone who grew up in the 1980s remembers eating many a dinner out of their mom's Pyrex dishes. If you or your mom still happen to have those dishes, then pat yourself on the back, because they auction online for hundreds of dollars.
Released in 1998, the GameBoy Color was sold in toy stores worldwide until its discontinuation in March 2003. And seeing as you can no longer just go to the store and buy this classic handheld gaming console, the reseller's market has significantly marked up its price, putting it at anywhere from $50 to $3,000.
Many of today's adults have the Boy Scouts of America to thank for their wilderness skills and wildlife knowledge, with many a Boy Scout badge to show off their former glory days. And if you aren't too attached to those badges from yesteryear, then you can make some good money selling them online, with one collection of badges from the 1950s selling for $250.
Back in the '90s, the whistling Nerf Turbo Screamer was on every kid's wish list. Today, finding a Nerf Screaming frisbee or boomerang in new condition is rare, which is why they can go for up to $100.
Perhaps thanks to the nostalgia factor alone, this old school board game is available online for as much as $400. And if you remember playing this game as a kid, then you'll love these 20 Photos Only Kids Who Grew up in the 1980s Will Understand.
Back in 2001 when the first iPod was released, it was all the rage. And though most people nowadays will just use their smartphones to listen to music, a first generation iPod in new or working condition can still fetch a pretty penny, with some good-condition models being sold on eBay for up to $10,000!
If you were smart enough to jump on the American Girl Doll craze back in 1986, then pat yourself on the back. The original dolls are high in demand amongst collectors, with Samantha in particular selling for thousands of dollars.
They just don't make cereal boxes anymore like they used to—and because of that, some collectors will pay a fortune for unopened vintage ones. If you happen to have a box of Wheaties from 1991 with Michael Jordan on it, for instance, then you can sell it for more than $1,000.
Maybe your brief go at being a rock musician didn't take hold, but that doesn't mean an investment in a musical instrument was entirely a bust. If you happened to drop down on an electric guitar, you could be sitting on a tiny treasure. And if that guitar happened to be a Gibson Les Paul—an über-popular line of guitars that has seen many cherished models, like the Classic, discontinued over the years—then you're likely sitting on a large treasure. On eBay, vintage Les Pauls sell for thousands of dollars.
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