Ever since Hasbro brought The Transformers to the US in 1984, these transformable mechas have captured the imagination of kids. The innovative way they metamorphose into other figures makes them timeless. Give credit to Hasbro for always reinventing itself. Since the first toys arrived on US shores, The Transformers franchise has remained relevant, thanks to the successful string of movies that helped make Hasbro a 14 billion dollar juggernaut.
You can find transformers toys for sale that make thousands. For instance, if you have the following G1 toys in your collection, you can quickly sell them for no less than 2,000 USD:
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- Motor Master
- Omega Supreme
- Blaster
- Jetfire
- Starscream
- Soundwave
- Grimlock
- Fortress Maximus
- Trypticon
- Galvatron
- Red Minibot Bumblebee
Now, if you have a lot of money, and are looking for highly collectible G1 transformers toys for sale, a Megatron with the complete original box will cost you well over 4,000 USD.
The G1 Optimus Prime, however, is considered the holy grail of Hasbro products. No Transformers collection is complete without it. As such, you should not be surprised if you are offered more than 10,000 USD for it.
Another valuable item that you should see at least once in your lifetime is the Movie Chrome G4TV Optimus Prime. It is a one-off that was designed by Hasbro and raffled off as part of the promotion for the first Transformers movie by Michael Bay back in 2007.
What Goes Into Toy Appraisal
But how are toys valuated? Who sets the price, and why are vintage Transformers expensive? Vintage toys are a niche market. They do not cater to children but the child within each adult. Most vendors bank on nostalgia to hook in the collectors.
They bring you back to that time in your childhood when everything seemed simpler. You remember the moment you finally transformed the Transformers from a car to a robot after painstakingly following the instructions.
And while you cannot set a price to the joy of finally getting your hands on a toy you’ve wanted for so long, there is a set of criteria that determines value.
Most appraisers typically place a value on the toy according to their age, rarity, and popularity. For instance, if you have an unopened G1 Optimus Prime that is still in the box in your collection, you can expect to sell it for thousands of dollars. An Optimus Prime is expensive because not a lot of those items are listed for sale. Most of the time, it is the main showcase for anyone’s collection. So, Optimus Prime ticks the boxes for both rarity and popularity, which help drive up its price.
Of course, appraisers also look at the condition of the toy. Any nick, scratch, or missing parts will severely affect the overall value.
Several online appraisers will help determine the authenticity and estimated market value of your toy. You can also compare the listed price online to get an idea of how much your collection is worth. Alternatively, you can also look for transformers toys for sale if you are looking to add to your collection.
Then again, a toy is only as expensive as the buyer is willing to pay for – valuation is one thing, but if the collector is determined, price is never an issue. They can also work on the idea’s that you present to them and maybe have something made from your wildest dreams.