3 Happy Meal Toys & Other Unexpected Collectibles Worth Big Money
Written by
Caitlyn Moorhead
Edited by
Gary Dudak
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Do you have a box of junk sitting in the basement or in storage? Well, one man’s junk is another man’s limited edition action figure in mint condition. Whether it’s vintage toys, comic books or baseball cards, valuable collectibles can be found everywhere. Even stuff you might not think about can be worth thousands of dollars.
There are many items other than rare Beanie Babies or “Star Wars” toys that have gone up in value over the years. Here’s a list of Happy Meal prizes and other collectibles worth some decent money — probably more than you think.
Happy Meal Toys
The food was never the draw for a Happy Meal; it was always the toy that was packed inside the box that made us excited. Now, those toys you got from a McDonald’s classic kids’ meal can earn you some cash. Here are a few examples that can fetch you a high price:
- The Lego Bionicle set from McDonald’s: $225
- 1990s Furby keychain toys from McDonald’s: $69.99
- 1980s McNugget Buddies: $199
Video Games
They might seem like a relic from the past, similar to a CD or VHS tape, now that most gaming is done online, but old-school video games can rack up some big bucks. These antiquated collectibles can sell for hundreds of dollars or more, depending on what condition you’ve kept them in. Move over valuable trading cards, here are some older pieces of entertainment that are worth a pretty penny:
- 1989 Tetris for Sega Mega Drive: $25,000
- 1987 Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (Nintendo) for NES: $65,000
- 1998 Pokémon Red (Nintendo) for Game Boy: $103,500
Vinyl Records
Not that long ago, it became cool again to have your music played on wax, also known as vinyl records, which caused lots of older albums to jump in price for the original or early pressings. The trend is still spinning, and here are a few rare finds that could have your finances singing a different tune:
- Wu-Tang Clan, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin: $2 million
- Elvis Presley, My Happiness: $300,000
- The Beatles, The Beatles (White Album): $790,000
- John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Double Fantasy: $150,000
Vintage Coins
Pocket change might be worth more money now than it was when it was originally being used. A penny may seem like just a penny, but the truth is, lots of coins have gone up in value — especially the rare ones.
Donn Pearlman, spokesman for PNG, said, “Like all collectibles, value is usually determined by the laws of supply and demand. Currently, there is tremendous demand for the finest known examples of rare United States coins.”
Pearlman and other coin experts have some advice on how to cash in if you acquire a rare coin — put it up for the highest bidder. “There are at least four or five billionaires who have spent nine figures on their collections in recent years. In the last year, nearly two dozen coins have sold for over $1 million at auction and privately.”
J. Arky contributed to the reporting of this article.
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