Somewhere in your attic, or shoved in a drawer behind a tangle of cassette tapes, is a piece of the ’90s that could pay for your next vacation. The stuff we fought over is hot again, and this time, collectors are paying serious money.
But here’s the thing: the treasure isn’t in just any old toy. The real value is in the details—the pristine, unopened box; the incredibly rare first edition; the tiny factory flaw that makes an item one-of-a-kind. It’s the difference between a fun memory and a collector’s jackpot.
This list is about those rare exceptions. These aren’t just nostalgic knick-knacks; they’re the specific, weirdly valuable versions that are occasionally worth thousands. If you were the kid who happened to get a lucky find and had a habit of keeping things perfect, you might be sitting on a goldmine. Here’s what to dig out first.
First-Edition Harry Potter Books
Before Hogwarts was a theme park and Daniel Radcliffe a household name, Bloomsbury printed an initial hardcover run of just 500 copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. With 300 of those sent to libraries, privately owned copies are exceptionally rare.
You’ll know you have a true first edition if the print line on the copyright page reads “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1”. Other key indicators include a typo on page 53 where “1 wand” is listed twice, and the misspelling of “Philosopher’s” as “Philospher’s” on the back cover.
The value of these books has skyrocketed in recent years. Pristine copies have auctioned for astounding sums, with one selling for over $400,000 USD. The first American edition, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, is also exceptionally valuable. A pristine copy from its publisher, Scholastic, set a world record in 2021, selling for $471,000. It’s definitely worth checking your shelves.
Pokémon Cards
If your Charizard is shadowless, holographic, and hasn’t lived in a sock drawer, it could be worth upwards of six figures. A pristine, professionally graded 1999 1st Edition Holo Charizard set a record, selling for $420,000. However, you don’t need a flawless card to have a major collectible.
Even cards in near-mint condition can command $20,000+, while slightly more worn examples still fetch five-figure prices. The key factors are mint condition (look for sharp corners and no “whitening” on the edges) and being from the original 1st Edition base set.
Furby
You either loved it or were vaguely terrified of it. While most used Furbies aren’t worth much, a common 1998 model that is still sealed in an undamaged box can be a nice find, typically selling for between $80 and $150.
It’s a completely different story for true collector’s items, though. The most famous is the promotional Kid Cuisine Furby, a rare mail-in prize of only 500 ever made. In excellent condition, especially with its original mailer box, it can command prices from $1,500 to $3,500, though the most pristine examples have sold for over $5,000 at auction.
Other extremely limited editions, like one of the five ultra-rare Bejewelled Furbies created by FAO Schwarz, have a history of extreme valuation, having been originally listed in the catalog for an astonishing $100,000. Ultimately, for any Furby that has been taken out of its box, functionality is crucial—if it still talks and moves as it should, its value will be significantly higher.
Beanie Babies
Not all Beanies are created equal. Most are worth little more than stuffing and nostalgia. While sky-high online listings are common, actual sold prices are far more grounded. The value hinges on verifiable rarity. A tiny fraction of pristine, first-edition bears like the Princess Diana (with specific Indonesian tags, not the common Chinese ones) or a Valentino with verified tag errors might fetch several hundred dollars.
Only the absolutely rarest (the “holy grail” Beanie Babies, like a 1st edition Peanut the Royal Blue Elephant or a prototype), professionally authenticated examples ever reach the low thousands. The real money is found exclusively in this top tier, which unfortunately may not be your average attic find.
Super Mario Bros. Games
The Nintendo games you blew into and pounded the A-button on are now major investment pieces. A sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 (released in 1990 in North America) sold for a staggering $156,000, with its value driven by an extremely rare early box variant.
The value of its iconic 1985 predecessor is even more stunning: a pristine, professionally graded copy of the original Super Mario Bros. went for $2 million on the collectibles platform Rally. These record sales happened during a 2020-2021 market boom that later drew legal scrutiny for alleged manipulation, a controversy that has since quieted.
It is important to note that these astronomical prices are reserved for true outliers. Unlocking this kind of value requires a perfect storm: the game must be factory-sealed, kept in flawless condition, and—most importantly—be a specific, ultra-rare print run that collectors covet. Basically, the ultimate childhood restraint pays off, especially when it protects one of the rarest versions in existence.
Tamagotchis
That digital pet you struggled to keep alive could be your ticket to a big payday. While common versions aren’t worth much, truly rare editions from the original ’90s craze are highly sought after by collectors. The holy grails are models like the Tamagotchi Ocean (Umino) from 1998, which was notoriously difficult, and the rare Devilgotchi from the same year.
In their original packaging, these can sell for $300 to over $1,000, depending on condition and rarity. Bonus points if you have the box and didn’t name yours Poopsie.
Fun fact: The collector community is so passionate about these that there are entire forums dedicated to people dreaming about Bandai re-releasing them (spoiler: they recently re-released the Angel model, so hope springs eternal for Ocean and Devil fans).
Early Magic: The Gathering Cards
Long before Pokémon dominated the playground, Magic: The Gathering was the king of fantasy card games. If you were an early adopter who sleeved your cards instead of shoving them in your pocket, you might be holding a treasure trove. The real wizardry lies in finding cards from the game’s very first “Alpha” and “Beta” sets, both from 1993.
For collectors, the white whale is the “Black Lotus.” A pristine, professionally graded Alpha version has sold for over $500,000, with unique artist-proofs fetching even more. But the treasure hunt doesn’t end there. Other cards from the “Power Nine”—a set of the game’s most brokenly powerful original cards, like “Mox Sapphire” or “Timetwister,” can easily command five to six figures depending on their condition. Even less famous rares from those first sets can be worth thousands, turning that old deck box into a down payment.