Kids Toys You Wish You Still Had

A lot of us remember collecting things like coins, stamps and baseball cards as kids. But toys? Not so much. And it's really a shame since some of our old vintage action figures, train sets and matchbox cars that we played with until the paint rubbed off are now worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars in mint condition. During tough economic times it would be great to sell off our old toys for cash, but most of us either destroyed our old toys or of course they were given away. Here are some kids toys you wish you still had.

1935 Lionel Train Set - $2500-$3000

You can pretty much take your pick of Lionel Train Sets from before 1960 and it's worth something. You probably heard your dad mention that he had one... and that Grandma gave it to your uncle who trashed it... and then there's probably some weeping since today one of these trains might be worth anywhere from $1000 to enough to buy a car. This particular set from 1935 is in decent shape, includes the original box and even though the cars aren't rare it's worth somewhere in the $2500-$3000 range.

1960s Vintage Smoking Toy Robot $10000

Does anyone even remember this thing? Well someone must since it sold for 10k on eBay... and that was with only 1 bid. The seller didn't want to part with this piece of nostalgia, but these tough times push us to part with our vintage plastic gold mines. To be fair though, most toys today just light up or talk, but rarely (okay never) actually smoke, so that is pretty cool. Ten thousand dollars worth of cool? Apparently.

1959 Barbie - $7500

Who knew in 1959 that Barbie would live to be 50 (and look better than ever) and be worth $7500? If they did maybe they would have left a few more of those $3 dolls in their box rather than dressing them up and cutting their hair.

1963 GI Joe Prototype- $200000

In 1963 Joe, Don Levine created a prototype toy soldier that measured 11 1/2 inches tall and had 21 movable parts. That prototype happens to be what G. I. Joe action figures were based on and was recently sold for 200k. To be fair a prototype is probably a lot more rare than the mass produced action figure, but with the way little boys treat their toys we imagine it's not easy to get a hold of any old GI Joe's any more.

1993 Zelda Gameboy Game - $1000

Fans and collectors willing to pay for nostalgia aren't just looking at bits of plastic from the 60s. Some collectors are willing to pay top dollar for classic video games... and since video games have only really been around for 20+ years a game made in 1993 would fall into the "classic games" category. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening for the Gameboy still in its original packaging fetches a thousand dollars on eBay. And you thought $60 for an Xbox game was expensive!

1966 Opel Diplomat Matchbox Car - $9000

Every little boy had at least a few dozen matchbox cars as a kid, but smashing them into each other and scratching those tiny wheels across the sidewalk definitely took its toll. That's of course why you didn't think anything of donating your old toy cars to your younger neighbor when you were finally old enough for some real wheels. You're really kicking yourself if you remember having a 1966 Opel Diplomat Matchbox Car which is worth $9000 today... which by the way is probably worth more than the actual Opel Diplomat.

1983 Cobra Commander -$1425

Ever since that cartoon that came out in the 80s G.I. Joe toys have never been the same. Sure, it's no 12" soldier with kung fu grip, but this 1983 Cobra Commander figure is a classic nonetheless.

1930s Mickey Cowboy on Pluto Celluloid Windup Toy - $6100

What makes this old Mickey Mouse toy so valuable?The fact that it's from 1930 Prewar Japan, the included extremely rare original box, the manufacturing defect on Pluto's foot and maybe even the fact that celluloid isn't used anymore due to how flammable makes this vintage Mickey Mouse Cowboy Celluloid Windup Toy is truly a rare find. But we'll still probably stick to the cheap plastic stuff you can find at the Disney store for $30.

1984 Transformers Starscream Figure - $1225

Factory sealed with an AFA (Action Figure Authority) rating of 90 this 1984 Transformers Starscream figure is a steal at $1225. And if you don't know nerd collector speak that breaks down to this popular Transformers character has never opened... ever. So don't expect your beat up old transformers that are covered in dust and scratches to sell for anything near that price.

1966 Batman Robot Toy - $1985

Remember a time when Batman had light blue tights and a buttery smooth voice and rather than black body armor and laryngitis? This classic 1966 Batman toy brings us back to the good ol' days of the caped crusader with those goofy painted on eyebrows. Although we have no idea why Batman's head lights up.... we don't remember that ever happening on the show with Adam West.

1979 Star Wars Boba Fett - $1300

It's really no surprise that vintage Star Wars toys are worth money today... even if you only have 1 figure still in the box you could go on a pretty sweet vacation if you sold it. But being the foolish kids we were we never would have thought to hang on to the box. All we knew was Star Wars was awesome and we wanted to take our Boba Fett action figure everywhere. It wasn't until a few years ago when the new Star Wars movies came out that everyone thought to save the new action figures... which will be worthless because everyone saved them.

2000 LEGO Statue of Liberty - $2500

If you still have LEGO sets from when you were a kid don't mix them in with your toddler's collection just yet... they may be worth something. You might be able to get a few bucks if you still have the elusive Yellow Castle set from the 70s and even something more recent like this 2000 LEGO Statue of Liberty sculpture. Only 9 years ago it sold for $200 new and now goes for over ten times that on Amazon.