Entertainment Swindon

Generation X, I think are the generation that realised there was more to the toys that we played with as kids, they were memories, nostalgic and ‘RETRO’. Did we invent that word? Retro today is a word set between Vintage and Present, set around the 70s, 80s and maybe the 90s. A period where toys were cool! We had Star Wars, He-Man, Trans Formers, GI Joe, as well as the birth of the Atari video game console.

These days, these toys have become highly valuable collectors items, and if you have one of these in mint condition, in its packaging, then you could have some serious money in the back of you closet or the attic!

Because this was an era where we actually played with these toys and had no idea that these toys in the future would become gold, the few that are in mint condition can be worth huge sums of money!

Gen X has become a generation of nostalgic collectors of toys, vinyl & sneakers are at the heart of this generational community.

Unfortunately for most of us, our parents either handed down these toys to younger siblings and cousins like my parents or just threw them in the bin or gave them away to charity shops.

For me, looking back at the countless toys I had as a kid and totting up what these are worth today, I could buy maybe a Porsche, Not kidding! Remember Steve Austin Six Million Dollar Man? The original Bobba Fett with the projectile rocket and Jowa with the vinyl coat? Looking back its unreal what money these toys I had as a kid that are now worth thousands, in fact some tens of thousands!

Our generation has built a community that spans continents, where you can buy online and head to many of these collectors events that literally take over expo centres such.

I do have luckily a few items from my childhood that Ive managed to save. The Atari Games Console, the Commodore 64, the Spectrum 48K (yeh! that one with the rubber keys), Sega 16bit and SEGA Game Gear.

So check your closet, check your attic and then get over to your parents house and rummage through their closets and attic, you never know, they may have some of your old toys hidden away and forgotten.

So let have a look at some of these toys that could possibly make you a little rich…

Garbage Pail Kids Cards

Back in the ‘80s, Garbage Pail cards may not have been popular amongst parents, but we all loved them as kids. Although these cards are not available on the market anymore, they are worth more than you might think today if you try to look for it online or at vintage stores.

One card from this stack was recently sold for £240, and an entire 1985 Garbage Pail Kids Series of cards went for over £3000 on websites like eBay and Amazon. Insane! Some of these cards can sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars – depending on the kind of card and the condition, of course.

1978 Luke Skywalker Action Figure

The chances of finding a mint condition 1978 Luke Skywalker in its package is extremely slim and why such items are worth so much! We are all fans of the legendary original Star Wars trilogy, this iconic trilogy holds a special place in all Gen X hearts. The joy of watching these iconic movies during our childhood is an unforgettable experience. Finding any of the original characters’ action figures is like searching for the Holy Grail. 

Hardcore collectors are willing to spend a pretty penny to get their hands on rare star wars toys. In fact, in 2015, a vintage Luke Skywalker action figure, initially released in 1978, fetched an astonishing price of nearly £20,000. Such remarkable passion and the enduring value of these toys leave us awestruck.

PEZ Dispensers

Really! I recently watched a documentary on Netflix called the PEZ Outlaw, a documentary following the story of Steve Glew, a machinist from the Mid-West USA who smuggled PEZ dispensers from Europe, selling for thousands in the US. 

Most of us as kids were given PEZ sweets as a treat which we probably kept for a little while until the dispenser either got broken or just chucked in the bin by our parents, never would we have known that in the future these cheap fun sweets dispensers would be worth huge sums of money! 

The popularity of these churches never really dissipated, and a PEZ dispenser known as ‘Astronaut B,’ which was made in 1982, was sold on eBay for over £25,000. Gosh! The precious Pez dispensers can be found even today, however, they are all of the more updated action figures of cartoon characters.

Game Boy

In the early ‘90s, this bulky version of the Game Boy was so popular that kids had to beg their parents to get one for them. Of course, many versions came after the original, there was the Game Boy Color and then the Game Boy Advance. But with all these amazing graphics of today’s game consoles, who needs an old one anyway, right? Wrong. You’ll never know what it feels like to have been a real gamer back then without experiencing the graphics of the vintage model!

In fact, if you are one of those lucky people that own one, you should probably do your research on how much the value on it is. These babies can sell for hundreds or maybe even thousands depending on the condition it’s in. If you have a special edition, like the Game Boy Light, it can go for over £1200.

The Original Monopoly

Okay, we all know that there are many versions of this popular board game now. You can now be the proud owner of Game of Thrones Monopoly or Monopoly for Millennials (as if it isn’t sad enough that we can’t buy real estate, now we have board games making fun of us for it). There are also versions that cater to those who prefer more firmly entrenched pop culture icons, like Star Wars, Star Trek, or even Pokemon. But, of course, nothing beats the original.

And absolutely nothing beats the original of all originals. The hand-drawn version of this game, which was made by Charles Darrow in 1933, was sold for an astounding £115,000 in 2011. So, if you were one of those kids that loved the vintage versions from the 1930s or other limited edition versions, you can be raking in the cash… a severe amount of money! A good condition Monopoly from the 1980s will earn you around £200.

ZX Spectrum 48K

The original ZX Spectrum is remembered for its rubber chiclet keyboard, diminutive size and distinctive rainbow motif. It was originally released on 23 April 1982 with 16KB of RAM for £125 (equivalent to £469 in 2021) or with 48KB for £175 (equivalent to £657 in 2021). 

I remember as a kid getting the more advanced Commodore 64, but many of my friends had the cheaper Spectrum 48K, so I eventually saved my money from copying games onto blank cassettes and selling them to friends at school, something literally a child could do, simply using a double cassette player, you would put the original game cassette in along with a blank cassette and press play and record. Now I had a Spectrum 48K along side my Commodore!

Today I still have both of these old classic home computers, still in working order and the Commodore even still has its box.

Today the ZX Spectrum can be picked up for anything between £70 and £3000, depending on its condition and if it still has its box.

Commodore 64

My Favourite computer of all time! Forget all these fancy games consoles of today with 3D games, link ups to other gamers online talking through your headset from the other side of the planet!

The Commodore 64 is pure authentic gaming with at the time was awesome graphics and playability. Being able to save our old Commodore from when we were kids is my ‘retro’ pride and joy.

Today, getting your hands on a Commodore 64 will set you back between £300 and £3000 depending on condition.

1982 Skeletor Action Figure

If you were born in the ‘80s, it wouldn’t be hard to remember Skeletor. As a boy of the ‘80s, you probably had to beg your parents to buy you this action figure because it was one of the most popular toys back then. If you didn’t have one, you risked being left out at school.

We all know He-Man was another favourite as well, and together, they were the most popular action figures from the Masters of the Universe World. If you are one of those lucky ones that still has it, you can actually get a lot of money for it. A 1982, mint condition Skeletor action figure that is still inside its box could fetch up to £2500 online.

The Six Million Dollar Man

Another toy I had as a kid that ended up god knows where and today is worth anything between £90 and £1500, depending on its condition and if it also comes in the box.

In the mid 70’s, pretty much every boy that I knew had the Six Million Dollar Man action figure (I just got mine two weeks ago from the thrift!). Steve Austin’s TV adventures were crucial viewing for more than just kids, among viewers were toy executives hungry for the next success in the world of media tie-in toys. 

Today the massive marketing madness starts six months before a movie hits theatres, but back then a large toy line based on a TV of film was a new idea. The 12″ GI Joe toy line was a legendary toy industry success that Kenner was anxious to duplicate with their own extensive Steve Austin collection.

For years the toy industry wanted to duplicate the success of the Barbie Doll, but in a boy’s toy line. GI Joe taught the industry that re-labelling the doll an “action figure” and providing a steady stream of realistic accessories yielded stratospheric sales. Sales didn’t end with a single action figure. The toy gained value as the boy’s collection grew, and in this case the TV series provided plenty of fodder for play. 

The Six Million Dollar Man figure was the hit toy of 1975, and it’s easy to see why since the basic figure is so feature packed. Peering through the back of Austin’s head lets you see out a small fisheye lens in his eye socket. Turning his head right and pumping a switch on his back would elevate his right “bionic” arm (to pick up small plastic engine blocks and girders). There were even accessory arms with built in flashlights and “bionic grip”. The bionic arm was originally covered in a flesh-coloured rubber skin that you could roll back to reveal cool-looking removable circuit blocks. 

This was just an awesome cool toy that I remember as a young kid having loads of fun with.