How to Collect Vintage Fisher Price Toys
From the introduction of its first wooden toys in the early 1930s, Fisher Price has consistently captivated the imagination of America. Though perhaps best known for its Little People product line, Fisher Price has also produced such American icons as View Master, Power Wheels and See n' Say toys and continues to produce quality preschool-age toys to this day. The vintage toys are now highly prized collectors' items. If you want to know how to collect vintage Fisher Price toys, it is not a difficult hobby to learn.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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Start Your Vintage Fisher Price Toy Collection
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Find out what's out there. Fisher Price has produced hundreds of different kinds of toys over the years. If you are going to collect vintage Fisher Price toys, you need to know what you are looking for. A good place to start is Zindo (see Resources below), which has an extensive database of vintage Fisher Price toys along with pictures of those toys.
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Decide if you are going to collect just one kind of toy or many. For example, you may want to collect only Little People or only View Masters. On the other hand, you may be interested in collecting any type of vintage Fisher Price toy. When you know the focus of your collection, searching for additions to it will be much simpler.
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3
Do your research. You are going to want to know just how much those vintage Fisher Price toys are worth. eBay (see Resources below) is a good place to go to see what the going prices are. You can also check out a vintage toy price guide from your local library.
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4
Become auction savvy. Probably the best place to find vintage Fisher Price toys is eBay (see Resources below). A quick search for vintage Fisher Price toys using their search feature will likely provide you with enough items to bid on to keep you busy for hours.
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5
Remember to check Craigslist (see Resources below). This is a popular website featuring free regional classified ads. Find your state and town on the main page, then search for vintage Fisher Price toys. If anyone in your local area is selling, you will see their ad and can contact them to make an offer.
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Tips & Warnings
Like virtually all vintage toys, Fisher Price products are more valuable when they are in their original packaging. This is because the packaging was commonly thrown away in times past, making it rare, and because the packaging helps keep the toys in good condition. Expect to pay more for the toys you collect if they are still in their original packaging.
Vintage toys were made in an age before uniform safety standards were in place. Therefore, they may come with parts that could potentially be choking or injury hazards for young children. In most cases, it is better to not allow children to play with vintage Fisher Price toys without close supervision.
