16th Aug 2025
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Selling toys might not seem to be a lucrative venture at first, but there are some that could be worth a small fortune. If you are one of those people who still owns a huge amount of toys from their childhood, or your parents do, it might be worth digging them out after reading this article, as there could be a fortune sitting hidden and gathering dust in storage.
Jacquie Denny, co-founder of the online estate sale and secondhand goods marketplace Everything But The House, says iconic toys are the hidden gems in today’s marketplace for secondhand and collectible toys. “Star Wars,” G.I. Joes, Legos and Pokemon are all in high demand as adults who played with those toys as kids try to turn their own children on to the toys.
“The kids who grew up on these are now at the age that they are raising their own families and want to share those memories by enjoying them with their own kids,” Denny said.
Here’s a list of what you should be looking for if you want to cash in on those childhood memories.
Barbie
Since the Barbie movie came out, there’s been a renewed interest in all things Barbie-world. Prices hold steady over time anyway with well-kept Barbies, standing the test of the ages like any collectible toy. They’re worth the most if they’re in unopened boxes, but even well-played-with Barbies can fetch a nice penny if they’re a rare or unusual one.
Original 1970s Barbies can easily reach over £1000 on eBay, while 1990s dolls often make over £200-£300.
Barbie merchandise and accessories are also a huge secondary market, so even if you think your Barbie wardrobe isn’t worth much without a doll, think again!
Polly Pocket
Polly Pocket originals from the 1980s and 1990s are in demand from collectors – and that could soon increase even more. While complete sets can fetch beyond £500 on eBay, the Polly Pocket Movie is in development. After seeing what happened with the Barbie craze, it’s not unrealistic to think that vintage Polly Pocket toys will reach even higher prices when (or if) the movie comes out.
Power Rangers
While a lot of collectors insist on mint condition figures still in the box, Power Rangers seem immune to that criteria.
The Carrier Zord figure released in 1993 in good condition can get as much as £350 in the box and around £250 used. Other out-of-the-box Power Rangers average around £100 – £200 – a combo sale of a Cybertron Optimus Prime and Wing Saber recently sold for £156.
Pokémon Cards
A Pikachu Illustrator card recently sold at an auction house for more than £50,000. Pikachu was the main Pokémon character that appealed to both boys and girls, and there was low production on the first generation while they were testing the market.
Early misprints – like the one that sold for more than £50,000 – bring in more money than the more common corrected versions of the card.
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Classic Video Games From the 1980s
Mario Bros. is “making a huge comeback” Denny said, but any big-name game going as far back as the original Pong is finding love on the collectible toy market. The original Game Boy Color and a Sega Genesis console have been selling for as much as £2,000 on some video game collecting sites, while copies of Mario Kart 64 can fetch as much as £1,000.
“There is a group of tech fans who are now wanting to enjoy the classics,” Denny said. “The ones who I have talked with love the simplicity of these games and, again, it is reminiscent of their youth with their besties – most of them are still playing these with the same guys.”
Unopened Lego Sets
The key to selling Lego toys as collectibles is having still-sealed sets in the original packaging. They usually fetch between £200 and £5,000 depending on the set and how old it is. They don’t even need to be old: the LEGO Ecto-1 Complete Set launched in 2021 recently sold on eBay for a WHOPPING £21,665.
Once you open a box of Lego, the value drops dramatically. However, if you have a MASSIVE collection you could still make a fortune – like the seller of this LEGO figurine set made up of Marvel, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars characters, taking over £8,000 for the full lot.
Super Soaker
The Super Soaker Monster XL still bills itself as the largest water gun ever sold.
In mint condition, it routinely sells for £500 on eBay and other collectible sites.
But even used, Super Soakers are worth something. Many vintage models reach well over £100 on eBay.
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