Toy Collecting

Although toys have existed for thousands of years, the hobby of collecting toys began in the twentieth century. As mass-produced, factory-made toys became common in the United States, people started collecting handmade dolls and toy train sets dating back as far as the 1840s.

Today, antique toys comprise the largest category of toy collecting. Antiques include any toys that were made before World War II. Cast-iron toys, tinplate toys, automatons, train sets, and dolls made of wood, wax, porcelain, cloth or bisque are common examples of antique toys.

For many collectors, the appeal of the antique category is purely financial. Antiques tend to have the highest value, because they are rare, out of production, and historically significant. Toys made after World War II fall into the category of "modern toys."

Since the 1950s, the toy industry has grown enormously, and there are now numerous types of collectible modern toys. These include board games, stuffed animals, diecast cars, fad toys, and action figures.

Toy collecting is one of the most popular collecting hobbies in the United States. There are a number of toy collectors' organizations, the earliest of which were founded in the 1960s. In recent years, online auction websites such as eBay have helped increase interest in collecting toys while assisting the growth of many collections.

Despite the tendency of some modern collectors to amass toys with the sole intention of reselling them for a profit, many collectors take up the hobby for nostalgic reasons, and enjoy reminiscing about their childhood by looking at or playing with the toys that used to entertain them.

Things to Look For

Because toy collecting is such a broad field of collecting and such a popular hobby in general, there are many things to look for in collectible toys. Most of these characteristics are specific to each kind of toy. For instance, the criteria for assessing antique dolls include:

• Materials used to make the head and body
• Original or replacement limbs, hair, or clothing
• Mouth (closed mouth is more rare than open)
• Skin color (black dolls are always more valuable than white dolls)

Antique toys usually bear the logo of their manufacturer. This is an important feature to note, as it provides information about the origin and history of the toy as well as its value.

Manufacturers of antique toys include:

• Ives, Blakeslee & Co.

Hubley

• J. & E. Stevens
• Montanari

Carette

• Ludwig Greiner
• Kewpie Dolls
• Armand Marseille
• James Fallows & Son

Items bearing the logos of these companies will almost always have collectible and monetary value.

There are many replicas of antique toys that are often misconstrued as valuable. In some cases, it is possible to tell the difference between a true antique and a fake just by looking for certain qualities or marks. For instance, an actual antique mechanical bank will usually have an indented circle at its base, while a fake will not.

Toys with social significance to the period in which they were made are also highly sought by collectors. Such toys may include World War II airplanes, dolls that look like famous people, or items bearing political slogans or song lyrics.

As a rule, toys are known for being rather easy to identify and appraise. While condition is the most important factor in determining the value of a toy, the rarity of the toy is also considered.

The condition of a toy is assessed using four degrees, from lowest to highest quality:

• Play-worn

Good

• Very good

Mint

The four degrees of rarity are:

Common

Limited

Scarce

Rare

The most valuable toys are the ones that have never been played with and which are still in their original, mint-condition packaging. Because there are so few antique toys that have never been played with, this quality usually indicates superior rarity and perfect condition.

Trends

More than most collecting hobbies, toy collecting revolves around trends. Toy fads occurred repeatedly throughout the twentieth century in the United States. Teddy bears, first produced in 1903, earned their name and popularity due to US President Teddy Roosevelt's famous refusal to shoot a bear cub while hunting. This trend is one of the longest lasting of all time, as teddy bears remain among the most commonly collected toys.

In the 1950s, fad toys such as the yo-yo, Frisbee, hula hoop, and Slinky became highly popular. Durable plastic dolls such as Barbie, G.I. Joe, and Chatty Cathy were the most popular toys of the 1960s.

In recent decades, there has been increased activity among consumers in the secondary market. The secondary market refers to the buying, selling, and trading of toys between consumers, where the manufacturer or stores do not regulate prices.

Toy industries and the media have encouraged fanatical consumer behavior in the secondary market. The Cabbage Patch Kids, a popular collection of dolls, became the subject of a massive secondary market craze in the 1980s. Similar crazes occurred in the 1990s surrounding the Tickle Me Elmo doll and Beanie Babies plush toys. In the 2000s and 2010s, Funko Pop! bobblehead figures, Fisher Price Imaginext toys, Battle Beasts, and Skylanders were all popular, as were the video games Minecraft and Fortnite, and franchises such as Harry Potter, Pokémon, and The Simpsons. During such periods, people paid inflated prices for items with no real appraisable value.

Toy Collecting for Fun vs. Profit

Collecting toys can be a fun way to learn a piece of cultural history while enjoying the experience of owning something entertaining or charming.

Many people collect items that have no significant value at all, simply because they have fun playing with toys. Companies like Schylling Toys manufacture replicas of antique tin toys, including wind-ups, diecast cars and automatons. Though they are not valuable, such toys are popular among collectors who appreciate the memories generated by them.

According to the website Cool & Collected, nostalgia for the pop culture icons and toys of one's youth can increase values. Toys and games that are popular in the present have the potential to become valuable collectibles in twenty-five to thirty years time, when adults have the funds to buy what they remember playing with as children. For example rare 1977 Star Wars toys in their original packaging have commanded hundreds or even thousands of dollars in the 2000s and 2010s. Such potential is not guaranteed, however. Though some serious collectors profit from their hobby, there are many people who attempt to capitalize on secondary market crazes. These typically naïve prospectors run the risk of losing large sums of money on toys that quickly become worthless when the market trend runs its course.

When collecting modern toys for profit, it is important to determine whether the toys have any long-term, actual value, or merely sell for temporarily inflated prices due to artificial short-term demand.

Learning More

Organizations

Antique Toy Collectors of America <https://atca-club.org/>

American Train Collectors Association <https://traincollectors.org/>

Association of Game & Puzzle Collectors International (formerly known as American Game Collectors Association) <http://www.gamesandpuzzles.org/index.php>

Canadian Toy Collectors Society <http://www.ctcs.org/ctcshp.htm>

Books

O'Brien, Richard, and Elizabeth Stephan. O'Brien's Collecting Toys: Identification and Value Guide (9th Ed.). Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications, 1999.

Pearsall, Ronald. A Connoisseur's Guide to Antique Toys. New York: Todtri Productions, 2000.

Walsh, Tim. Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them. Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews McMeel, 2005.