Collecting Vintage Toys

Vintage marbles are fun collectibles, but it seems to take a lifetime to know enough to buy marbles wisely. Machine made marbles take special knowledge. There are good and valuable marbles in...

The Madame Alexander Doll company was created in 1923 in New York City by Beatrice Alexander Behrman. Madame Alexander dolls are characterized by the hard plastic that makes them less breakable....

Hot Wheels cars are very collectible and have been in production since 1968. Many collectors have hundreds of cars that they have acquired over the years. Hot Wheels need to be protected to...

Vintage Barbie clothes could be the gold mine in your attic. Complete sets go for thousands of dollars, as do hard to find individual pieces as seemingly insignificant as a belt. Whether you're...

Matchbox cars have become popular with toy collectors who appreciate the many years of history that the toys replicate in die-cast miniatures. There is a Matchbox car for almost every type of...

Collecting die-cast model cars became very popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s as their detail and quality increased. As more companies entered the field over the years, including Hot Wheels...

Weetabix, a British ceral manufacturer, has been marketing its products for years using collectible items such as cereal box cutouts or redeem-by-mail promotions. Because of their long and...

Marbles are not just a childhood plaything. Many of the American marble-manufacturers were put out of business in the 1950s, which means the marbles they produced are now considered rare. That...

Antique toy trucks are usually made of cast iron. The casting process allowed for greater detail in the models. Toy trucks come in all shapes and sizes, from miniatures to large enough for small...

The world of marble collecting is still a relatively new one because it wasn't until the 1980s and 1990s that people realized the value of these items. Today there are three main categories of...

Let's face it, marbles are awesome. If you played with them as a kid, you know how alluring these tiny orbs of glass, metal or stone are. According to the Antiques Journal, marble collecting is...

Bobblehead dolls are "nodding toys." They are also known as bobbing head dolls, nodders and wobblers. Bobbleheads can be made as a customizable item.

The action figure GI Joe has been around since 1964. Hasbro is the original maker and still is, however they have been made in Canada as well and occasionally under the name Hassenfeld Bros, Inc. ...

Identify handmade marbles by certain characteristics for each type of marble. Vintage glass marbles have different identifiers than stone marbles have, but you can learn the characteristics of...

The Dinky Toy company was created in 1934 and released die-cast car models from that period until the early 1980s when its British division closed. The company name was later sold to a Chinese...

Whether you collect Barbie fashions or have a little girl in your life who loves Barbie, storing clothes can be difficult. Shoes get lost. Outfits get separated. Make this cute Barbie closet, and...

This article will teach how to clean and repair a stuffed animal. This is a brief overview of how to clean and fix up a child's loved toy. Please be sure to first check what type of fur your...

Fads come and go, but few were as popular as the original pet rock of the 1970s. It seems an impossible concept that a rock would cause such a stir since it really was just a plain rock. The fact...

Doll cases are an important part of any doll lover's collection. From miniature dolls to large, life-sized baby dolls, display cases and carrying cases are two necessary elements to protect and...

Breyer horses or Breyer model horses are collectible horse statues ranging from the 1" tall "Mini Whinnies" pictured here to 9" tall Traditional scale replicas of horses. Once...

Beanie Babies, manufactured by Ty, are small bean-bag animals that remain popular collectibles. Like baseball cards, antique dolls and other collectibles, the price and value of certain Beanie...

Gotz Dolls are high-quality dolls with a vinyl or cloth body and vinyl limbs. Gotz manufactures dolls for children and collectors. Over time, the all-vinyl Gotz dolls may lose a limb or the arms...

A marble is a small, sphere-shaped toy that varies in size from 1/4 of an inch to more than 3 inches. Marbles are mostly used in children's games, but some people collect marbles for their vibrant...

My son begged me to post this article. He thought it was very important for all parents to know how to collect rare legos. He's 8 years-old and the top thing on his mind when going back to school...

Marbles have been around for more than 100 years as children's toys. Just like most other vintage toys, they have become collectible, which means the older ones in mint condition can be very...

Effanbee's best-known doll was "Patsy," who appeared in the late 1920s. She was a three-year-old girl with a trendy bob hair cut. Later Effanbee introduced friends for Patsy and a boyfriend...

Composition dolls are a type of doll that originated in the 20th century and are composed of a mixture of glue and sawdust, hence "composition dolls." Dolls made from composition were manufactured...

The first Barbie doll made her debut in 1959 at the American Toy Fair in New York. She was invented by Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel Toys. Barbie was the smallest and most sophisticated doll...

Collecting teddy bears can be a fascinating hobby. Teddy bears are a popular collectible for everyone. The teddy bear has often been thought of as a substitute soft toy for boys in place of a...

The first Kewpie dolls were manufactured by J.D. Kestner in Waltershausen, Germany, in 1913, and were designed by Joseph Kallas. Kewpie dolls were five inches tall, made of bisque, with jointed...

The dedicated doll room is an unrealized fantasy for many enthusiastic doll collectors. Being able to properly mount and display a favored doll or a few dozen of them, without the worry of dirt,...

Collecting vintage toys can be very lucrative, but it can be hard to find definitive values for toys in your collection. Happy Meal toys are a popular collector's item, but prices can fluctuate...

For most antique toys there are good price guides and value guides available. Old toys are impossible to value without taking condition into account. About every guide I have uses a scale from...

Old dolls have quality and appeal from a generation gone by that new dolls sometimes lack. There are many reasons to search for and collect old dolls, including building a collection for...

If you collect old marbles, you may be wondering how to clean your collection of tiny glass treasures. Marbles that have been played with in the dirt may be coated with a layer of grime and dust....

The history of marbles traces back to ancient China, and marbles were also found in the great pyramids of Egypt. However, today's collectible marbles are from the late 1800s and newer; usually...

Marbles have been around since the days of ancient Rome, but it was the Germans who were responsible for developing the children's pastime that we all know as "shooting." Look for handmade clay...

Did you have a favorite board game as a child, or have you developed an enthusiasm for collecting vintage board games? Take your energy and enthusiasm and apply it to hunting for old kids' board...

If you have a pinball machine with a dirty playfield, you need to clean it to protect your playfield surface. A pinball traveling across a dirty pinball playfield can damage the surface. A...

Action figures make great collectibles, but storing them can be a hassle. If you have a great deal of action figures, you might want to considering displaying them. Most figures are worth more if...

Since March 1959, girls the world over have played with the fashion doll known as Barbie and collected not only the doll but also her friends and family. Barbie dolls have become collector's...

Barbie turned 50 years old in 2009. It is one of the most sort after doll every year and for collectors. Barbie's that are even just 10 and 25 years old are worth money. To help celebrate and or...

Barbie is so popular because she has so many different styles and looks. The hardest part of creating your own look for Barbie are the accessories that she wears. You can make your own Barbie...

Since "Steamboat Willie," the very first Mickey Mouse cartoon, there have been scores of collector's items created by the Disney brand. Every film, television show and theme park has an individual...

Most doll lovers today have heard of the Barbie doll or have had one. The Barbie doll is one of the most collected dolls, and all the Barbie clothes and accessories account for much of the...

Has your child lost his her or favorite stuffed animal Lovey? Maybe it just got "loved to death?" Or maybe you would like to replace that childhood favorite your mom threw out to the...

Vintage GI Joes have a special place in the hearts of many toy collectors. These were the original action figures and ushered in a division of toys that revolutionized the market. Not simply...

Beginning in the early 1900s, the Ideal Toy Co. made America's dolls of choice--and their popularity lasted for decades. Today, Ideal dolls are sought-after collectors' items. The cute figures,...

Matchbox cars are toys that children have been playing with for generations. The cars tend to be very realistic and well-decorated with paint and decals. The quality of a Matchbox car is...

Remember the Atari 2600, the Commodore or the R.O.B. Robot? It wasn't too long ago that these were the hip game stations and the games that came with them. You just might have some of those...