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Collecting GI Joe Toys – A 3000 Percent Return on Investment?

28 Aug 2010 by admin

Growing up in the 1980’s, some of my favorite toys belonged to the 3 and 3/4 inch tall G.I. Joe action figure line. After purchasing a few vintage Joes on Ebay as an adult, I enjoyed the nostalgia that they provided and decided to start collecting again. Ebay provided an endless supply, but I had one problem. How much were they actually worth? An Ebay auction alone is a good barometer of an item’s value, but was I getting a good deal on a particular auction, or was I overpaying? I was shocked to see some unopened figures selling for hundreds of dollars.

I searched all over the internet for a GI Joe price guide, but could not find one. I ended up buying a collector’s book and watching thousands of auctions to get a feel for what individual G.I. Joe figures and vehicles were worth. Not only did I learn a great deal about the 1980’s Joes, I also became educated about the figures and vehicles sold from the early 1990’s — all the way up to the toys being sold today.

Being a toy collector is not only a fun hobby for thousands of people, it is also a great investment. Keeping in mind that the value of anything is totally dependant on what someone is willing to pay, and that any investment involves risk, toys have always been popular collectors’ items and usually increase in value over time. They remind us of pleasant childhood memories, or the memories of a son or daughter’s early years. A few things that add special value to Hasbro’s G.I. Joe line are: a following which sometimes nears cult status, respectable quality, and a longevity that spans over 40 years.

If the joy of collecting is the only motivation, the 3 and 3/4 inch GI Joe and Cobra forces provide plenty of things to do. There are a wide variety of fascinating figures and vehicles to collect. There is the thrill of the search for rare variations and sets. A simple joy is displaying the highly poseable collectibles; and if figures and vehicles are broken or incomplete, they can usually be fixed or completed. There are sub-hobbies to explore such as custom figure creation and diorama displays. And finally, a toy collection is one that can be shared with one’s children or friends, and eventually passed on for generations.

Brian Maksel
Creator of http://www.GIJoePriceGuide.com/

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Tips on Collecting Tin Toys

03 Jul 2010 by admin

Collecting tin toys is not a recent phenomenon. Tin toys came into fashion in the mid 1800s when toy makers found that they were a cheaper and more durable substitute for wooden toys. Germany was a major producer of it till World War I. Most German tin toys ran on clockwork and included toys like trains and boats.

Around the 1920s, American manufacturers became the market leaders for it, the most famous among them being Louis Marx and Company. After World War II, the action shifted to Japan. Japan specialized in friction and wind-up tin toys till electronic toys finally took over in the 1960s.

It was around this time, that collecting them started to become a hobby in America. Several societies like the Antique Toy Collectors of America, the Mechanical Bank Collectors of America and the American Train Collectors Association were formed. Tin toys fetched such high values during the 1980s that collecting these toys has emerged as among the top five hobbies in the United States. Many collectors consider them as an investment although the markets can be volatile.

To start collecting, you can start off in your own attic, basement, garage and any other storage areas. Look for long-forgotten toys inside trunks and chests. One word of caution here: don’t try fixing broken toys on your own. Take the help of a restoration expert. To be on the safe side, don’t even try cleaning them yourself. You may unknowingly rub off some of the paint off the toy. This is because the finish on them is delicate and wears down with age.

Tin toys that are closer to mint condition fetch the highest prices. In fact, those that are still in their original packing sell at a premium. So don’t throw away the packing even if it is torn. It may contain the patent number, the year of manufacture and other details that would make your tin toy even more highly priced.

Most importantly, collect those that bring you pleasure. Decide on the category of tin toys that you would like to specialise in. If clockwork and wind up toys fascinate you, stick to collecting just these instead of collecting all kinds of toys. This will help you to maintain focus. Keep yourself abreast of marker prices by studying toy sale catalogues and keeping in touch with toy dealers.

Gabriel enjoys providing articles on various interesting topics. Besides this topic, he also has a keen interest in health and fitness. Do check out his latest site at http://urbanreboundertrampoline.org/ which covers reviews and product information on urban rebounder trampoline.

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