7 ’90s Collectibles That Are Worth a Lot Now
A lot of stuff from the ’90s is worth some real money now—provided it’s in good condition.
Beanie Babies
We know, most Beanie Babies didn’t really appreciate in value and they became a punch line for dumb collecting, even drawing shade from the Berenstain Bears. But some of the Beanie Babies are worth a few grand, so maybe see if you have a Snort the Bull in your collection. Fun fact: the bull was originally named Tabasco.
Hot Wheels
Mint condition Hot Wheels can go for hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars. Beware though—if they’re not in their packaging, they likely can’t be authenticated.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Toys
Remember when all culture consisted of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Well, if you still have some turtle power stashed away in your parents’ basement, you may have money on your hands—assuming you kept everything in sealed boxes and didn’t play with it like a weirdo. A mint condition Party Wagon can sell for $600 (AND WE HAD ONE OF THOSE! MOM! WHY DID YOU LET US PLAY WITH THEM?!), Technodrome playsets can go for three grand, and the most valuable toy, Scratch the Cat, can set collectors back $6,000. Not bad for an anthropomorphic cat most fans don’t even remember.
A First Edition Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Only 500 copies were initially printed of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone—and apparently 300 went straight into the library system, lost to the ages. Depending on how nice the copy is, it can go for between $80,000 and $100,000. Before you get excited, here’s how to tell if the copy you have on your shelf is an actual first edition.
First Edition Pokémon Cards
Do you have any mint condition first edition Pokémon cards in your closet? If so, get them ranked by PSA and see if you have a fortune on your hands. Most Pokémon fans know that a mint condition holographic Charizard is a big frickin’ deal and will set you back around $400,000, but there are plenty of valuable cards from the first edition, or even better, the first Japanese edition out there.
That said, the most valuable Pokémon card right now is a perfectly mint Pikachu Illustrator card. Only ten are known to exist, and YouTuber Logan Paul bought one for $5,275,000.
Magic: The Gathering Cards
The vast majority of Magic cards are worthless and get sold for pennies or traded. Others, depending on age or rarity, can be sold for thousands of dollars. It should be no surprise to Magic players that Black Lotus cards are the most valuable (who doesn’t remember the summer of the Black Lotus?), with a Black Lotus alpha selling for half a million dollars. A beta version of the card is also valuable, but only worth $40,000.
A Sealed Copy of Super Mario 64
If you happen to have a sealed and mint condition copy of one of the bestselling games of the ’90s, you could have something worth $1.54 million on your hands. That’s right, an immaculately preserved (called “case fresh” in the business) copy of this classic game is super-duper valuable. Wow, great job Mario. The best we could do is a beaten-up copy of Luigi’s Mansion, which might be worth a couple bucks and a slap bracelet.
