Toy collecting is a very fulfilling and dynamic hobby that can take you across your town, city or even across the country in your search for the most memorable (and valuable) toys that you can add to your own collection.

In its very essence, toy collecting is an art and like other hobbies that require acquisition, toy collecting also requires some degree of research if you want your quests for toys to be more fulfilling.

Some decades ago, you had to travel around the state (or country) to find good sources of toys to buy and collect.

With today’s Internet, it has never been easier to become a toy collector because the online marketplace offers limitless possibilities in terms of variety, price, quality and make. The online marketplace offers not only new toys from recent manufacturers but also vintage toys from the yesteryears.

The Taste

Each toy collector has a peculiar taste for toys. This might sound strange to some, since the term ‘taste’ is closely associated with food consumption and flavors. But in a way, collecting toys is also a way of ‘consuming’ the subject of the hobby. As toy collectors, we savor the form and appearance of toys. We appreciate the colors and the detail that each toy adds to the collection.

Variety is always appreciated and in the long term, variety also makes an existing collection valuable, because as you collect more and more toys and dig deeper and deeper into toy garages and auctions, you increase your chance of finding that one toy that can later be auctioned or sold for a very nice price.

Admittedly, not every toy collector is interested in eventually selling toys after acquisitions. Many toy collectors take pride in the fact that they have created a whole space in their home to house the toys and there is never a need to dispose of any of the toys.

From mint to near mint

Serious toy collectors pay attention to a toy’s condition or ‘grade.’ Ideally, you should acquire mint-condition toys that are still in the original packaging. 100% mint toys have never been opened (or if the original package has been opened, the items inside the box should never have been removed or played with). 100% mint toys with intact original packaging can be sold for a much higher price later on.

Toys from the sixties or even earlier that have been preserved well are usually in mind condition but the packaging is usually lost in the process. There are some toys that have been so well preserved that even the original cartons have been kept in good condition but these are generally rare and more expensive.

The third toy grade is "near mint". Toys that have never been played with but do not have the original packaging are considered near mint (as long as the toy is not chipped or does not have any other signs of use/wear such as broken parts or worn down parts).

Vintage toys that have to be assembled carefully straight from the box are usually graded "near mint" because these toys may not have the original packages anymore or the packages might still be there but these may have been worn down already by age.