collectible toys....investment?

livewire_82

I'm thinking of investing in something collectible and several things have attracted my interest but I'm not sure which, if any would be the most promising as an investment. I'm looking for something that will increase in price of the years although I understand that the ideas I have are already considered quite collectible. I've done some research into all of the below so I would know what to look for:

Star Wars Memorabilia, Retro Nintendo Games, Scalextric, Diecast Toys, Warhammer Figures, Football Programmes, Airfix, Subbuteo.

As I'm looking to keep the spending down this would be seen as more of a long term investment.
Also, I like going to boot sales quite regularly so I suppose I'd be looking for something that is not considered in common knowledge to be collectible i.e. pick up some bargains!

Any other collectibles of this theme that could be tipped to rise significantly in price over time?

wallbash

this would be seen as more of a long term investment.

50 /100 years? I cant see anything mass produced by the millions in plastic going to be worth much more in the foreseeable future.

Any other collectibles of this theme that could be tipped to rise significantly in price over time?

Find something made ( with skill) in very very limited numbers.

krycek985

wallbash wrote: »

50 /100 years? I cant see anything mass produced by the millions in plastic going to be worth much more in the foreseeable future.




I both agree and disagree. Some of the new doctor who toys release a few years ago have doubled and tripled in price.

Collector cards can go for a pretty penny as well if you have the right ones.

I used to collect loads of collectors cards. Most of them I made my money back a few years later and some a huge profit. Just your luck really.

livewire_82

When I say I'm looking to make an investment, I don't mean I want to make enough money to retire with, just enough that will make me a fair profit. i.e. buy an item for £5 and sell it for £20-30.

If any of my suggestions aren't seen as worthwhile investments then what would you consider to be worthwhile?

Lotus-eater

With each of the things you've picked, you need to know exactly what stuff sells for on ebay before you buy and the rarity of each item. To be an expert enough to go round buying without a list, you need to spend alot of time researching. If you have a list the price goes up most of the time.

And tbh, if you don't have a real interest in the things you want to buy, what's the point.

I know about Scalextric to a certain minimal extent and some about Nintendo games. For both of them, the times when you could go to boot sales and pick up a load of stuff to sell on, or even to store away for 10 years, has gone. Well gone.
You may have the occasional lucky find and good luck if you do, but I've seen alot of stuff go on bootsales, for more, or the same as it would sell for on ebay.

Scalextric, you can forget, because there are experts at every boot sale, it's a popular collectable. Nintendo games (any retro games), you may get lucky, I have a few times (in years gone by). But even then, there are far more people with knowledge than there used to be.

You need something that people haven't caught on to yet. Difficult in the world we live in.

Nile

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Lil_Me_2

I collect Disney Vinylmation. Available from the states for $10 each, or some series are available online in the UK for £8 each. Once a series sells out it doesn't get released again. My best investment Vinylmation cost me $10 just under 2 years ago and is now worth $200 on eBay. I have around 200 Vinylmation now, and would value my collection at over £4000. Need to find the right time to sell though, and you need to keep them for a few years after they sell out.

They have produced a Star Wars series of Vinylmation, I don't have this set but one of the rarer Vinylmation sells in the shops for $10, but is on eBay for $300. I imagine that this set will prove popular with collectors of both Vinylmation and Star Wars merch.

wullie

Never spend money on what you don't understand fully. I know nothing about any of your collecting ideas apart from football programmes which i have been collecting for 30 years. Can you make a quick £20/£30 profit on programmes ? Yes and No. There is no logic what so ever in prices. I have paid £150 for a programme and sold it the next week for £280. On the other hand i have paid £100 for a programme and now can't give it away. And this is my speciality, something i have studied for years. But yes, if you have patience, collect the right sort of stuff, and lock it away for 20 years plus, you could make a handsome profit. But the main thing is , you must have a passion for what you collect. If you collect purely for money reasons, then i'm afraid you are wasting your time.

GavB79

I hear vintage pornography has a strong market...

soolin

When I first started dabbling in selling many years ago I was in the sci fi/collectable toy sort of market. The one thing i did learn was how quickly the markets moved, what was fashionable one year and fetching sky high prices could be worthless the next year. Cult type items tend to be quite short lived.

I used to help fellow fans sell on part collections when money was tight, yet by the end, before I got out of the market I knew of several fans who were sitting on coleletions that they had paid thousands for who would be unlikely to raise the price of a train ticket to Glasgow if it was all sold as the fans had moved on. Only a couple of years ago I saw a rare Babylon 5 figure , still sealed in a box and mint but signed on the box by the actor go for £5 yet some years before that had cost well over £100 pounds.

Unless you can guess what toys will remain popular I really would urge caution as otherwise you will be left with a lot of items that you will have to turn out for peanuts just to clear the room. If you do buy anything make sure it is mint and store it carefully to ensure it doesn't get dusty or suffer due to temperature change. Th etrick is guessing what cult type toys will still be popular in 10 years time, and it isn't usually the ones that are currently popular so be careful, it can often be the more obscure items that remain valuable.

Lotus-eater

soolin wrote: »

When I first started dabbling in selling many years ago I was in the sci fi/collectable toy sort of market. The one thing i did learn was how quickly the markets moved, what was fashionable one year and fetching sky high prices could be worthless the next year. Cult type items tend to be quite short lived.

I used to help fellow fans sell on part collections when money was tight, yet by the end, before I got out of the market I knew of several fans who were sitting on coleletions that they had paid thousands for who would be unlikely to raise the price of a train ticket to Glasgow if it was all sold as the fans had moved on. Only a couple of years ago I saw a rare Babylon 5 figure , still sealed in a box and mint but signed on the box by the actor go for £5 yet some years before that had cost well over £100 pounds.

Unless you can guess what toys will remain popular I really would urge caution as otherwise you will be left with a lot of items that you will have to turn out for peanuts just to clear the room. If you do buy anything make sure it is mint and store it carefully to ensure it doesn't get dusty or suffer due to temperature change. Th etrick is guessing what cult type toys will still be popular in 10 years time, and it isn't usually the ones that are currently popular so be careful, it can often be the more obscure items that remain valuable.

Spot on, the price of vintage video games has fallen from a high about 10+ years ago. Since the surge of ebay, a huge amount has come onto the market and peoples collecting tastes have changed.
A collection of stuff I would have sold 10 years ago for £250, would now fetch about £50.