One-Article.com

It has long been suspected that there is a great deal of money to be made in iconic and vintage toys. Although the majority of us used toys for what they were and pretty much destroyed them, a few clever folk kept theirs in pristine condition. Whilst arguably we had more fun, the collectors have had the last laugh as antique toy prices reach an all time high.

Auction house Vectis has reported that last year the price of toys went up by around 7%, the biggest increase since 2001. Private sales aside, there was a massive $12 million spent at auction in 2008 on toys alone. According to Vectis the most expensive items to go under the hammer where Victorian rocking horses, vintage Hornby train sets and a couple of Georgian dolls houses. Those people selling the toys had most often inherited them from their great grandparents or found them hidden away in an attic or shed.

Jake Fenchurch of the Society For Antique Toys has given his suggests regarding the occurance of the record prices. He states that as machines take over more of the toy making work, there are less hand-made items entering the market that can gain value.This means that the traditional products such as tin and wooden toys are becoming even rarer and thus more valuable. Selling up right now though is not his advice.The toy market will keep on growing in strength he suggests, and unlike other markets there are very rarely any dips.So the advice for now is hang on to those classic rag dolls, Steiff bears and vintage toy car collection because there is more money to be made from them yet. Also, it’s worth checking the attic or the garage as you just might find a gem you didn’t know you had.