It has long been suspected that there is a great deal of money to be made in iconic and vintage toys. Whist most of us were bashing our toy cars against walls or throwing are action men out of the window, there were a select few who kept their toys neatly in their boxes. Whilst arguably we had more fun, the collectors have had the last laugh as antique toy prices reach an all time high.
A record increase of 8% in toy prices at auction was seen last year according to toy valuation experts Vectis. Private sales aside, there was a massive $12 million spent at auction in 2008 on toys alone. According to Vectis the most expensive items to go under the hammer where Victorian rocking horses, vintage Hornby train sets and a couple of Georgian dolls houses. Vectis have stated that their research tells them that over 80% of the item entered for auction had been inherited from relatives.
Ted Bowers from the Antique Toys Society has also spoken about the rising price of old toys. He argues that there is a serious lack of hand-crafted quality toys being made these days, and instead companies are opting for cheaper, mass-produced items.This means that the traditional products such as tin and wooden toys are becoming even rarer and thus more valuable. However, he does not suggest selling up just yet.In this growing market you should be patient as there is a great deal of upwards movement still to come.So the advice for now is hang on to those cherished rag dolls, Steiff bears and vintage toy car collection because there is more money to be made from them yet. Also, it’s worth checking the attic or the garage as you just might find a gem you didn’t know you had.
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