You could be sitting on thousands of pounds worth of valuables from your popular childhood toys.
We all have toys that we find it hard to let go of. But whether shoved under the bed or in a box in the attic, it's time to dust off those boxes as they could bring you in more money than you expect. Many of your childhood favourites, once so very popular, are now collector's items.
From old Barbie dolls to Beanie Babies and Lego, plenty of out-of-circulation toys are now sought after, bringing in thousands of pounds worth of extra cash. Cath Kidston has taken a look at the serious money you could be sitting on from your childhood obsession.
READ MORE: Boy, 9, who thought he had long covid given 'bombshell' diagnosis
Beanie Babies
I'm sure we all had a Beanie Babies growing up, or know someone who did, but now, some of them are worth hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds. The original Peanut the Elephant is one of the most valuable Beanie Babies around because of its very limited production run.
Only 2,000 of the royal blue Peanut were ever produced, but there’s debate as to why there were so few. Some said it was a production error and he wasn’t supposed to be royal blue, while others believe the creator of Beanie Babies, Ty Walker, wasn’t happy with its initial sales. Either way, the original Peanut could earn you close to £4,000.
Unique Lego sets
Lego is one type of nostalgic toy that is still just as popular today, regardless of your age. According to the manufacturer itself, the number of adults buying Lego sets has increased fourfold in less than a decade.
The lucrative Lego Airport Shuttle set has a unique place in history. As well as producing a limited run, it is said that Lego outsourced the production of the monorail tracks to a company that folded, so the tooling pieces were lost forever. You could fetch close to £2,000 for one of these sets.
Original Star Wars action figures are worth big money, and the same applies to Star Wars Lego sets. A used Ultimate Collector’s Millennium Falcon bundle is worth around £1,184.99 – around treble its original value. The Imperial Star Destroyer, from the same collection, could be worth around £1,830.
Barbies
An original of the very first Barbie doll is worth a lot of money, but there are plenty of iterations of Barbie through the years that could bring in some money that you might well have in your collection.
The three most valuable Barbies all have real jewels sewn into their outfits and were either extremely limited or one-of-a-kind, but you don’t have to have a diamond-laden Barbie to make some cash. Barbie Millennium Princess, designed in honour of the year 2000, is bringing a price of around £1,988.
Calvin Klein Barbie, a quintessentially ‘90s toy, is worth around £1,124 if you have kept her in good condition. The Vintage Parisienne Barbie, from the very first catalogue of Barbies in 1959, could be worth an impressive £2,305.
