1. POLLY POCKET
The tiny dolls and their compact playhouses have gotten larger since Mattel bought the brand in 1998, which might be why the original, actually pocket-sized Pollys have increased in value. A sealed Polly Pocket Jewel Case is worth $600 online, and some sellers offer sets like a Polly Pocket dream home for upwards of $500.
2. POKÉMON CARDS
Even in the ‘90s, a Charizard was a rare find. Now, those who really want to “catch ‘em all” will have to pay a high price to add a Charizard to their collections. A mint condition Charizard Holo card, from the first edition of Pokémon released in 1999, can fetch more than $5000. Complete first-edition card sets can cost $4600 to $8700.
3. POKÉMON FOR NINTENDO GAMEBOY
It’s not just Pokémon cards that have grown in value. Pokémon games for Nintendo Gameboy can also net owners a pretty penny. Red, Blue, and Yellow versions can cost several hundred dollars each. A sealed copy of Pokémon: Red sold for $405 earlier this year.
4. FURBY
If your Furby was too creepy for you to even take it out of the box as a child, you’re in luck. An original 1998 Furby recently sold for $700. Another limited edition toy from 1998 went for $405. Even used they can fetch high prices, like a working Kid Cuisine Furby that recently sold for $130.
5. CASTLEVANIA
The Dracula-based video game Castlevania is particularly valuable these days. Sealed versions of the game sell for upwards of $900, depending on the condition. A 1994 SEGA Genesis version of Castlevania: Bloodlines has sold for as much as $750; Nintendo NES editions of Castlevania and Castlevania 2 have sold for more than $950. A used copy of the 1990 PC game went for $585 in March.
6. M.U.S.H.A. FOR SEGA GENESIS
The 1990 shooting game M.U.S.H.A. is much-coveted on eBay, where it can sell for up to $500.
7. SUPER MARIO BROS FOR NES
You can play Super Mario Bros on a Wii these days, but some people are still on the lookout for the game’s original versions for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Super Mario Bros 3, released in 1990, has sold for as much as $960.
8. SUPER SOAKERS
A vintage Super Soaker Monster XL, which has the distinction of being one of the largest water guns ever sold, went for $500 this year. A used Super Soaker CPS, known for being the most powerful water gun ever, went for $300.
9. G.I. JOE ACTION FIGURES
Even used, Starduster, an action figure that you could get through the mail from Hasbro, can net you $300. Other G.I. Joe sets go for more, like an incomplete space shuttle complex that sold for $600. A used G.I. Joe Mobile Command Center can sell for $3000. Real American heroes don’t come cheap.
10. POWER RANGER ACTION FIGURES
The Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers are now mighty valuable. A 1993 action figure the Carrier Zord (fighting machine) Titanus is worth $270. Other used Power Rangers toys have gone for around $200.
11. TRANSFORMERS ACTION FIGURES
If you’ve got a sealed Transformers figure stashed somewhere, sell it off, stat. A 1995 Megatron action figure sold for $750 earlier this year, and a pack with Optimus Prime and Megatron sold for $1000.
12. MAGIC: THE GATHERING CARDS
Magic: The Gathering debuted in 1993, and some of the earliest cards produced can fetch several thousand dollars from collectors. A sealed Alpha starter deck has sold for more than $8700, while a single Black Lotus alpha-deck card—one of only 1100 ever printed, considered the “holy grail” of Magic cards—is worth more than $27,000.
13. YU-GI-OH CARDS
A first-edition box of Yu-Gi-Oh cards can be worth more than a thousand bucks. First-edition Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon booster boxes have sold for up to $1450.
14. HOT WHEELS
Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt cars, first released in 1995, are still quite popular with collectors. A toy version of a 1967 Camaro recently sold for $509, and a set of 12 cars in the original box sells in the $1100 to $1550 range.
15. RC CARS
Vintage RC cars are worth several hundred dollars, even used. An unopened Kyosho 4Runner sold for $700 in March, while an incomplete, used Tamiya RC Ferrari from the early ‘90s sold for $140 in May 2016.
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16. LEGO SETS
Sealed vintage LEGO sets might get you around $500 (for a King's Mountain Fortress set), while used sets are worth significantly less, especially if they don’t have instructions or a box. Still, a used castle set with no box can be worth between $125 and $190 if it’s complete.
17. WRESTLING SPECIALS
Some wrestling specials from the ‘90s are worth several hundred dollars today on VHS. A used 1996 tape from a match between Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage can sell for $200. A 1997 tape of World Champion Wrestling’s Great American Bash goes for around the same price.
18. STAMPS
A select number of rare stamps from the ‘90s get traded for (relatively) high prices among collectors. This 1997 sheet of Bugs Bunny stamps, for instance, sold for $90 in May. A set of 1992 Junior Duck Stamps (which can’t actually be used to mail anything, but benefit environmental conservation efforts) recently sold for a whopping $995.
19. BEANIE BABIES
No, your plush Ty toy collection isn’t worth the fortune you thought it would be during the Great Beanie Baby Craze of the late ‘90s, but if you’ve got an especially rare toy, you might still get a few hundred bucks—that is, if you kept the tag on. A Canadian blue elephant (Royal Blue Peanut) sold for $650 in April 2016. An authenticated Korean Raspberry Patti sold for the same. A wingless Quacker—one of about 780 ever shipped—sold for $1800 in March, although another wingless Quacker sold in April fetched just $430.
20. HAPPY MEAL TOYS
That giant bin full of old Happy Meal toys in the attic will not make you a millionaire, sadly (sorry, mom!) but certain ‘90s McDonalds toys can earn you back the cost of that Happy Meal and more. If you happen to have gotten a hold of an entire display—like this one for Super Mario 3 Happy Meals with four toys—you could get up to $400. (We already know Super Mario fans are intense about their collectibles.) But even the entire toy display for Tiny Toon Adventures meals only earned its seller $46, and a set of 46 unopened Furby toys sold for just $56, so the chances of you making it rich on Happy Meals toys are not great.
21. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST ON VHS
In the modern era, VHS tapes can be surprisingly valuable, even if most people no longer own a VCR. The Disney classic Beauty and the Beast is a particular gold mine. Listings on eBay for a Black Diamond edition of the 1991 film run from $50 to $9000. And people do buy them: One sold for $1000 in April.
22. HARRY POTTER BOOKS
Some early Harry Potter novels are now worth big money. Only 500 copies of the first 1998 edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone—with Joanne Rowling listed as the author—were printed, making them extremely valuable now. One bookseller estimates that one could be worth up to $56,000.
