5 1990s Collectibles Worth Serious Money
Written by
Kathryn Jackson
Edited by
Levi Leidy
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The 1990s left behind more than just memories of neon fashion and a whole lot of boy band posters. Many items once bought for pocket change are now commanding serious cash from collectors. These nostalgic pieces have turned into unexpected treasures worth hunting down.
Princess the Bear Beanie Baby
- Original price: Between $5 and $7
- Price on eBay: Hundreds or thousands based on condition (and authenticity)
Beanie Babies were all the rage in the ’90s — so plush and so cute they captivated children and adults alike. The 1997 Princess the Bear special-edition Beanie Babie was created to honor the late Princess Diana. This small purple bear with a white rose on its chest is one of the most sought-after beanie babies of all time.
Super Soaker 200
- Original price range: $20 to $30
- Price on eBay: Around $250
In 1990-1991 Larami gave children all over the U.S. the Super Soaker 200. It was the perfect water toy to use at the beach or at pool parties during water battles.
Super Soakers are still around but are now produced by Nerf. Check out the Nerf Super Soaker Mega Dunk-Fill water blaster at Target for $21.99.
Sealed and/or Graded Nintendo 64 Super Smash Brothers Game
- Original price: $59.99
- Price on eBay: $1,000 – $2,199.99
Nintendo games were a big deal in the 1990s. The 1999 Nintendo 64 put the world of 3D gaming and controllers for four people at the ready fingertips of teens everywhere.
Nowadays, many of these game cartridges can be bought used for even less than they sold for in the ’90s, including this edition of Super Smash Bros. However, collectors will pay big bucks — to the tune of thousands — for sealed and/or graded versions of these games that come with the case and cartridge, transporting you right back to the ’90s and how the games looked on shelves.
Charizard Pokémon Card
- Original price: $50 (or less if you pulled it from a booster pack)
- Price on eBay: $20,000 or more
A first-edition PSA 10 holographic Charizard Pokémon card (non-shadowless or unlimited) from Base Set currently sells for $20,000 and up on eBay.
In the late ’90s, Pokémon started a global sensation of kids playing the games, watching the show and collecting the cards with different creatures on the front, including Charizard and Pikachu. As the Pokémon craze continued to grow, people were clamoring for all things Pokémon, buying merchandise almost as quickly as it was put on the shelves. Now, some cards — vintage and modern alike — can go for hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars based upon their rarity and condition.
Pogs
- Original price range: $0.15 to $0.50
- Price on eBay for Jurassic Park set with images, characters and buildings: $50
- Price on eBay for 640 set of various Pogs and Slammers: $600
- Price on eBay for 4 Metal Pog Slammers set: $40
- Price on eBay for 240 Pogs and 10 Slammers set, including Peanuts and Disney images: $44.99
A typical Pogs game consists of stacking up 10 to 15 small round discs with images face-down and then dropping a heavier Slammer disc on the stack. When the Pogs scatter, the player with the most pogs face-up is the winner. Some of these vintage Pogs sets now sell for tens or even hundreds of dollars, which is quite the markup from what they were worth originally.
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