06-07-2025
5 Childhood Treasures From the 1980s Worth a Small Fortune Today
Step aside pretty handmade quilts, painted furniture, and heirloom silver, in today's collecting market, it's the much less decorating-friendly entertainment items that are ruling the auction market. 'Entertainment or pop culture is the category that is really the most collectible and bringing in the highest values right now,' says appraiser Marsha Dixey of Heritage Auctions, an auction house that specializes in collectibles such as sports and entertainment memorabilia, comic books, and autographs.
And, right now, it's the toys and entertainment memorabilia from the 1980s that are prime for collecting popularity. 'Every 30 years, there seems to be the cycle of top popularity,' says Marsha. 'So, the kids who would have wanted these games and dolls for Christmas during the 1980s are now thirty years older and looking for things from their childhood to collect now.'
But, before you start counting your pennies, Marsha stresses that condition is key with all of these categories, and that, in most cases, only those items that are unopened and unused have any real resale value. There is also something called grading, and in today's wider collectibles market, you can't really sell anything without first having it graded and, if necessary, authenticated.
Here's basically how it works: each specific category of collectibles, such as video games, comic books, sports cards, or action figures, has its own standardized grading scale. The main criterion for determining the grade of an item is condition, but other factors such as rareness may also be considered for ultimate estimated value. As you can imagine, the higher or better the grade, the higher the potential value.
Below are some of the toys and collectibles from the 1980s that are bringing big dollars in today's auction market:
Video Game Consoles
Video game consoles from the 1980s are nabbing big dollars, especially when they're unused and/or a rare edition. The Nintendo PlayStation prototype shown here (the PlayStation was originally developed by Sony in collaboration with Nintendo and nicknamed Nintendo PlayStation) sold at auction in March 2020 for a whopping $360K. (Note: This was one of 200 prototypes, the rest were destroyed, and it is the only one known to still exist making it a very rare one of a kind!) 'Rarity is certainly important with these consoles,' says appraiser Marsha Dixey. 'But, as seen in recent sales, even not so rare 1980s NES Nintendo PlayStation consoles can be found selling in the $1,000 to $3,000 range if complete and in working condition. Unopened, Deluxe Systems that are graded as near mint condition can also bring up to five figures. Other video game brands like Atari and Sega Genesis have also garnered hefty prices at auction depending on condition and accessories, but most of those were made and distributed in the 90s.'
Here's a surprise—individual games are actually worth more than the consoles. 'Individual video games—while available at every price point—can bring more than $20,000, but it is really all about the popularity of the game, as well as for what console the game is for,' says Marsha. Some of the most popular games are Nintendo's Legend of Zelda (specifically, the Nintendo 1985 game, which has sold at auction for over $16K), Super Mario Brothers (one 1985 game sold for $720K in 2022, while another unopened game brought over a million dollars!), and anything Madden football. Marsha also notes that games for Nintendo PlayStation are the ones bringing the most money. And, remember, the games bringing top dollar are not opened and unplayed. (Here's more on the video game grading system.)
Samantha is one of the original American Girl dolls, and if yours checks all the boxes, and is still in good condition with her original clothes and accessories, she could go for thousands of dollars. 'Samantha is one of the original American Girl dolls,' says appraiser Bene Raia, 'however since Pleasant Company was sold to Mattel in 1998 and the company then became American Girl, the Samantha doll was heavily produced.' In order to know if your Samantha doll may really be worth something, Bene says to take a look at the body. 'If you have an original Samantha with a white body and she is signed by the original creator Pleasant Rowland, then your doll would be worth thousands. But not all Samantha dolls are worth this much, only the signed and numbered white body dolls with a certificate of authenticity.'
Some of the other early American Girl dolls, such as Felicity, Addy, Molly, and Kirsten, may also be worth thousands of dollars, but again, only if it is a signed number one doll with a white body. The vast majority of American Girl dolls with tan bodies are worth under $100.
The VCR days are long behind us, but you may want to hunt down those old VHS tapes. Some graded unopened VHS tapes from late 70s and early 80s, such as Halloween, Star Wars, and Toy Story, have reached five-figure auction values in the last several years. Unpopular movies that never made the leap to DVD or digital are also the ones to look out for (especially in the horror genre), as well as movies that have been banned or deemed controversial (like Disney's Song of the South), which can go for higher prices. 'Remember these are unopened [factory-wrapped] and never played and graded! Who does that?' says Marsha. 'Genre seems to be important, with horror and sci-fi titles bringing some of the highest values.'
Star Wars Action Figures remain a constant in the action figure collecting group. As always, condition and rarity are the most important factors in determining grade and value. Last year, a prototype of a Rocket Firing Boba Fett was sold by Heritage Auctions and reached the highest price paid for this type of toy: $525,000! (The prototype was one of only two known and never went into production due to a safety hazard for kids when the toy fired its rocket.) Other rarities in the super heroes group from the earlier 1960s and 70s, such as Captain Action, Batman and Superman, found in mint condition and in original packaging can sell from just under $500 up to $4,000. Wrestling superstars like Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, and Andre the Giant are also popular and can sell for between $1,000 and up to $5,200.
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