Brits have been urged to search their homes for popular toys which could now be worth up to £60,000
Many ’90s kids are thought to still have some of these nostalgic childhood toys at home in their parents’ attics – and could be sitting on a small fortune.
Now is the time to dig through your old old toys as you might be sitting on a secret goldmine, according to experts.
Old childhood toys can be worth a fortune because they might be just what an avid collector needs to complete their collection.
From Beanie Babies and Furbys to Harry Potter memorabilia and the classic Nintendo video games, you could be sitting on thousands.
If you’re lucky enough to stumble across the rarest of the items, you could fetch £62,500, while another has an estimated value of £38,200.
The nostalgic toys have likely been packed away years ago – but have exploded in value over the last few years.
Here, FEMAIL reveals the sought-after ’90s items that are potentially worth a fortune – and how much you could get for them…
Beanie Babies
Beanie Babies (pictured, stock image) were very popular in the 1990s and are still very collectable
Created by Ty Warner in 1993, Beanie Babies were a popular toy of the 1990s – a line of stuffed toys filled with plastic pellets that became highly collectable.
Many decided to keep the tags on the bears and to keep them as collectables, rather than toys, they became soon became a financial investment, due to their high resale value.
Pawnbroker and broadcaster Dan Hatfield explained on This Is Money: ‘In the mid 90s, what I would call a ‘Beanie Baby Bubble’ was created and prices for retired and special editions of these toys were reaching astronomical heights – some were changing hands for thousands of pounds.’
However in 1999, the bubble seemed to burst and the company ‘flooded the market with 24 new releases’ which eventually led collectors to lose confidence in the products.
By early 2000, Beanie Babies that had once sold for thousands were only managing to re-sell for £1 – £2 each.
However all hope isn’t lost and there are still a few characters that still hold value.
Popular Beanie toys like Flash the Dolphin or Legs the Frog could make a couple of hundred pounds, according to This Is Money.
In 2015, one couple even stumbled upon a very rare Beanie at a car boot sale, the extremely limited 100 Princess Diana memorial bear, which is now worth £62,500.
Furbys
According to Mental Floss one of the original Furbys from 1998 sold for an astonishing $705 (£527)
Most 90’s kids will remember Furbys, which were originally released in 1998, and resembled an owl or hamster.
Over 40 million Furbys were sold worldwide during the three years of its original production, with 1.8 million sold in 1998, and 14 million in 1999.
This craze went on for a few year but eventually, the popularity of the Furby began to drop after the toy experienced several technical issues.
However that was until 2012, when the toy was successfully reintroduced with new capabilities and could develop several different personalities depending on how you raised it.
According to Mental Floss one of the original Furbys from 1998 sold for an astonishing $705 (£527).
Meanwhile a rare bejewelled Furby sold for whopping $6,400 (£4,800) last year, according to Money Digest.
This limited edition Furby, which was designed by artist and jeweler Sidney Mobell, was released in 1999, and was sold exclusively at FAO Schwarz for $100,000 (£76,000)
Only five were created, each featuring a tiara, necklace, bracelets, earrings, and adornments around the eyes, and all crafted using 156 Swarovski crystals, dozens of full-cut diamonds, and other jewels
Harry Potter
Therefore, you might be sitting on a gold mine if you have a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone when it was first published in June 1997
The Harry Potter franchise is massive, with collectors and fans of the books and movies collecting memorabilia for years.
While some collector items may not be worth much yet, certain rare Harry Potter items can hold significant monetary value, especially for dedicated collectors.
One of the most valuable Harry Potter items are the original books, particularly first edition hardcovers, which can fetch thousands of pounds at auction.
Therefore, you might be sitting on a gold mine if you have a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone when it was first published in June 1997.
The original book, which has the first-edition cover art and typos, could fetch between $30,000 and $50,000 (£22,900 – £38,200).
Only 500 copies of the debut Harry Potter novel were printed in the first run, with 300 given to libraries and schools and 200 to private parties.
They all contain the same typos, including the words ‘one wand’ printed twice on a list of items Harry needs for Hogwarts on page 53. JK Rowling’s name also appears as ‘Joanne Rowling’.
The book, which originally retailed for £10.99, has been consigned by a prominent Harry Potter collector at auctioneers Bonhams New York.
In June 2022, two sisters who were gifted a first edition 25 years ago sold their copy for a British record £220,800.
The world record price paid for a first edition is a staggering £356,000, which was achieved in Dallas, US, in December 2021.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has sold over 120million copies to date. It paved the way for Harry Potter mania across the world with six sequels, 500 million copies sold and hit movie adaptations starring Daniel Radcliffe.
Nintendo Classic
The Nintendo Super Mario games hold a lot of value, six of the original games could be worth hundreds, with the most valuable selling for £900
In 1984, Nintendo developed and started selling the unique, twin-screen interactive coin-operated video game and children were instantly hooked.
However it’s not the device itself that is earning gaming fans thousands, it’s the games that came with it.
Specifically the Super Mario games hold a lot of value, six of the original games could be worth hundreds, with the most valuable selling for £900.
According to CNet, a sealed copy Super Mario Bros. 3 earned $156,000 (£119,000) at auction in 2020.
Meanwhile, The Verge revealed that another untouched version of the game sold for $2 million (£1.5 million).
