Toys in the attic: what they're worth

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, Feb, 1998 by Kimberly Lankford

Letters, we get letters, we get stacks and stacks of letters -- from readers asking about collectibles. You write with fingers crossed and hopes high, eager to know whether that tattered volume from the Harvard Classics, the postcard your parents saved from their Niagara Falls honeymoon in 1942, or the comic books you collected as a kid will help finance your children's education.

We'd love to tell you that your Star Wars action figures can replace our 401 (k) retirement plan. But to be honest, most of the items gathering dust in your attic or mildew in your basement are essentially worthless.

Still, hope springs eternal, fueled every once in a while by a Cinderella story -- such as the $60,000 movie posters used as insulation behind the walls of a run-down house, the Flying Nun lunch box bought for a quarter that now sells for $150, or the $3,000 Pez dispenser hidden in a junk drawer.

We can't poke into all the nooks and crannies around your house and tell you exactly how much your treasures are worth. But we can give you guidelines on how to value books, coins, action figures, baseball cards and other potential assets in the attic. In fact, you might want to clip this story and add it to your collection.

Postcards

That 1942 postcard from your parents' Niagara Falls honeymoon has sentimental value, but not much else. Serious collectors are rarely interested in cards printed after 1930, and that includes the linenlike cards of the '30s and '40s. Chrome cards -- the shiny ones printed in the 1950s and later -- are rarely worth more than a nickel or a dime, says James Lewis Lowe, director of Deltiologists of America, which publishes a bimonthly newsletter for postcard collectors ($15 per year; P.O. Box 8, Norwood, PA 19074).

Interesting stamps or cancellations can make a card considerably more desirable. A pre-1910 Rural Free Delivery cancellation can add as much as $50 to the value of a $1 card, says Lowe, and cancellations aboard ships and trains add value, too. Some of the rarest and most sought-after cards are those that commemorate minor holidays, such as Halloween and April Fool's Day. A 1909 Labor Day card can fetch more than $100 because few were printed and labor unions weren't popular then, says Lowe. Common Christmas and Easter cards festooned with garlands and flowery phrases are worth only a few dollars. But pictures of people add value -- especially if the person is a full-length Santa dressed in a color other than red.

Other resources: The Postcard Price Guide: A Comprehensive Reference, by J.L. Mashburn (Colonial House, $19.95), and Postcard Collector, a monthly magazine ($23.95 per year; 800-334-7165).

Coins

Just because a coin is old doesn't mean it's valuable. Rarity is important, too. There's no shortage of most coins minted in the past 50 years, so the 1948 dime you dug up in your garden is probably worth -- a dime.

On the other hand, coins from the late-18th and early-19th centuries, which are in shorter supply, "have always done well," says David Harper, editor of Numismatic News, a weekly publication for coin collectors ($29.95 per year; 800-258-0929). But the oldest coins don't always bring the highest prices. "Typically, people kept the first and last year of issue," says Terry Corder, a coin dealer in Tyler, Tex. So, a Liberty Head nickel from 1883, the first year it was minted, sells for about $10; a Liberty Head from 1912, the last year it was issued, sells for less than $1. But an 1885 nickel could sell for $300 because people didn't think to keep it.

A Guide Book of United States Coins 1998, by R.S. Yeoman and Kenneth Bressett (Whitman Coin Books, $11.95), and Standard Catalog of World Coins, by Chester Krause and Clifford Mishler (Krause Publications, $47.95 for the 20th-century edition) both have photographs and retail prices for practically every coin minted this century. It's easy to match coins with photos, but it's tougher to determine the condition, or grade, of your coin. "Sometimes thousands of dollars can ride on slight differences," says Harper. The American Numismatic Association offers courses in grading (800-367-9723, or www.money.org; membership costs $35 the first year and $29 a year thereafter).

Comic books

What counts more than rarity is the popularity of the character. First editions are valuable, but you'll get more money if a character previously appeared in another series. For example, the first edition of Batman (1940) sells for $14,000 in near-mint condition. But Detective Comics #27 from 1939, in which Batman first appeared, sells for $32,500.

Right now, comics from the 1960s and 1970s are in vogue, especially those featuring TV characters such as the Amazing Spider-Man or the Fantastic Four. But if as a kid you actually read those old books, forget it. Comics that are torn or have loose covers, or are brown and brittle, are usually worthless, says James Saunders, owner of Gerber Products, in Glenbrook, Nev., which publishes the Photo-Journal Guide to Comics (two volumes, $75 each). Also consult The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, by Robert Overstreet (Avon Books, $18), and Weekly Comics Buyer's Guide ($37.95 per year; 800-258-0929).