Toby Walne Spending it
Barbie is facing middle age. Next year she will celebrate her 40th birthday. Early Barbie fans who resisted the temptation to pull off her arms or legs can count themselves lucky: vintage first-edition Barbies sell for about R60 000.
Action Man is hot on Barbie’s heels. Rejuvenated with extra muscles and new foes, interest in old versions of the 32- year-old has blossomed in the past few years and early models can now fetch more than R10 000. But Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken, has few lovers in the collectors’ market. He only fetches R2 000 at best.
Don’t bother rummaging in the old toy box for such family heirlooms, though. The only models really worth investing in are in pristine condition and hopefully still in their original box. The sad fact is that values halve as soon as dolls are unpacked.
The very earliest Barbie dolls that hit American shops in 1959 fetch the highest prices, but special limited editions have been known to soar tenfold in value in just a year.
Investors can typically expect values to rise about 5% a year for mint condition vintage Barbies from the late Fifties and Sixties, say collectors.
Action Man figures made in 1970 have the most ornate battle costumes and are deemed the most collectable. Vintage costume models still in their boxes can fetch as much as R12 000. Experts predict that Action Man values will continue to rise.
But make sure that Action Man has kept his clothes on. An original naked Action Man may be worth as little as R500. It’s the outfits and accessories that make him so collectable.
Any sign of wear and tear will make Barbie or Action Man virtually worthless, and it’s not a good idea to invest in the dolls unless you enjoy collecting, because there is no guarantee that value will continue to go up.
Elizabeth Lee, president of the Barbie Collector Club in the United Kingdom, says the best place for a would-be collector to start looking is in the many Barbie or Action Man books available in specialist book shops or on mail order.
There are also a number of doll-enthusiast clubs and Internet sites where people can learn more about specialist shops and auctions.
Toy fairs are also a good source of information.