Looking through the loft might turn up more than spiders – it could even uncover unknown treasures. Kids of the 1990s have been urged to look through their childhood toys in search of those that could secretly be worth thousands of pounds.
If you’re one of the lucky few, you’ll have kept your old Beanie Babies and early editions of Harry Potter for posterity and now could be the time to hand them over to a collector. For example, true first editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone that have the correct first cover and typos can fetch up to £38,200. Here are some of the most valuable toys from the 1990s:
Ty launched these small stuffed teddy bears in 1993. They became a massive collectable and have been credited as the first internet sensation.
While the common bears aren’t worth much today, some are worth small fortunes. Brownie the Bear and Iggy the Iguana can be worth £14,000 and £7,000, respectively.
But the most valuable bear is without a doubt Princess the Bear. Produced in 1997 to commemorate the death of Princess Diana, some are now worth around £350,000.
This “hamster or owl-like creature” was launched in 1998 by Tiger. It was immediately a must-have toy and over 40 million Furbies were sold during the three years of its original production.
Rarer Furbies have higher values. The Chicago Cubs Talking Buddy Furby is worth £115 and the Kid Cuisine Furby up to £1,910.
The most valuable mass-market Furby is the Emoto-Tronic Furby & Furby Babies. Released in 2005 and only 500 produced, they are now worth between £200 and £630.
Nintendo, the video game company behind Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong, Zelda, and Pokemon, has been releasing home consoles since the 1970s, including the Game Boy, the Wii, the NES, and the DS.
Among the company’s most valuable games are The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (Not For Resale), released in 2000 and can now be worth as much as £7,600, and Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl (Not For Resale), released in 2007 and now worth up to £430.
But the most valuable at-home Nintendo game is Stadium Events, developed by Bandai for the NES in 1987. It is now worth £32,000.
