These Toys From Your Childhood Are Worth a LOT of Money Now (2024)

Ahhhh, the '80s. The surreal Garbage Pail Kids collectible cards have found their ideal home on the equally surreal internet, where a card like "Adam Bomb" can collect around $1,550. Bonus dollars if they are in their original packaging.

When Nigo, the Japanese designer and founder of A Bathing Ape, decided to offload his Star Wars collection, he turned to Sotheby's. The total haul of the 2015 auction came to over half a million dollars, and included a new boxed Luke Skywalker figurine, one of only 20 out there.

Sugar fiends will be delighted to know that even that old, candy-less PEZ dispenser might be worth something someday. In 2006, a dispenser known as the Astronaut B, created for the 1982 World's Fair made major bank, sold on eBay for $32,000. Other collectible dispensers include the Mickey Mouse Soft Head dispenser, the 1955 Santa Claus Head dispenser, and the PEZ gun.

While most of these palm-sized cars go for just a few dollars, rare finds can be worth thousands. Among the most valuable is the 1969 "Volkswagen Beach Bomb" prototype, designed with surf boards hanging out the back window and wheels that made it too large for Mattel's race tracks. Though it never went into wide production, that's what makes it all the more valuable to collectors, who value it around $150,000.

The most expensive comic ever sold on eBay, this "pristine" 1938 edition went up for auction in 2014, to staggering results. Why the frenzy? It's the comic that first introduced Superman to the world, and there are fewer than 50 in existence worldwide.

A new American Girl Doll will run you about $120, but isn't it reassuring to know that discontinued dolls like Felicity, Samantha, Kirsten, and Molly live on somewhere? If you have one of these "out of print" dolls at home, with their original clothing and accessories, you could make as much as $3,000.

In 2012, a signed 1963 first edition of Maurice Sendak's classic children's book sold on Abebooks.com for $25K. The condition of the book was especially remarkable because, as parents know all too well, picture books rarely survive without any rips, smudges, or smears.

Lionel's nostalgic electric train sets evoke a bygone era (and are now made with 21st century technology), but if you happen to find an original Lionel set in your attic, it could be worth hundreds.

Barbie may have undergone a makeover, but for some collectors, the classic 1959 version will always be the one and only. Originals, complete with zebra-stripe swimsuits and a sweeping up-do, retail from around $8,000.

In a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction twist, an urban legend that Atari had buried hundreds of its game cartridges in the New Mexico desert in 1983 turned out to be true. In all, 881 recovered cartridges were sold, totaling $107,000 in proceeds. Individually, the more rare and popular games can go for hundreds of dollars on eBay.

These furry, interactive toys came on the scene in 1998. If you're holding on to an early version in an unopened box, you could expect it to fetch close to $900.

Before we were obsessed with our cell phones, we whiled away the hours on Nintendo's handheld game system, which was first released in the U.S. in 1989. These days, Game Boys go for hundreds, and possibly even more depending on the make and condition.

Hasbro produced the first line of these transforming robot action figures in 1984. If you were lucky enough to keep the originals in their box, they can be worth way more than their original value: some Optimus Prime figures in pristine packaging are listed on eBay for upwards of $25,000.

Originally published in 1998, first editions of the U.S. version of J.K. Rowling's story that kicked off the Harry Potter phenomenon have sold for up to $6,500. Score one for Gryffindor if you find a signed copy, which adds to the value, like this one selling for $15,000.

One of Nintendo's most beloved games (we all wanted to be Yoshi) now sells for hundreds. An original sealed copy, however, can go for thousands! A game that is worth a ton of money and taught us how to drive? Not too shabby.

Doll collectors adore Cabbage Patch Kids, first created by Xavier Roberts in 1978. Pat and Joe Prosey are the world's most obsessive Cabbage Patch doll collectors, having amassed over 5,000 dolls they house in a custom-built Maryland museum (you can buy them all for a cool $360,000). If you're more of a casual fan, there's also an official collector's club with an annual membership of $35.

This beloved, animatronic bear "reads" kids stories thanks to an audio cassette player built into its back. These days, bears in topnotch condition can be had for around $500. The Original Storytelling teddy bear from 1985, on the other hand, is a hefty $5,000.

First published in Japan in 1996, Pokemon trading cards have a huge following and rare cards can go for wildly high prices.