Surprisingly valuable Disney merchandise you might have at home
Courtesy Van Eaton Galleries/Live Auctioneers
Disneyana items worth big bucks
You might be shocked to learn that the first piece of Disney merchandise did not feature Mickey Mouse. In fact, the pinback button, stencil set and chocolate marshmallow bar launched in 1928 were dedicated to the famous mouse's precursor Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Since then The Walt Disney Company has licensed out its brand to countless companies, which have produced a bewildering array of products. In fact, who doesn't own at least one Disney-branded item? Click or scroll through to discover 26 collectables you might have at home that are worth a small fortune.
Sierra Black Cauldron PC adventure game: up to $100 (£77)
Released by Sierra in 1986 and based on the 1985 Disney movie The Black Cauldron, this adventure game was criticised at the time for its “chunky, low-resolution” graphics, but is now considered something of a classic. Originally retailing at $24.95, which is $58 (£48) in today's money, the game is worth up to $100 (£77) at the moment.
Courtesy Puzzleboxworld.com
The Haunted Mansion Secret Panel chest: up to $110 (£85)
Manufactured by a small firm in Hikone, Japan, Haunted Mansion secret panel chests sold like hot cakes at Disneyland Park during the late 1960s and early 1970s. If you have one gathering dust somewhere, you'll be delighted to learn that your vintage souvenir has been known to sell for up to $110 (£85).
Courtesy Mike Mozart/JeepersMedia/Flickr
Hasbro Mickey's Treasure Ship Play-Doh set: up to $140 (£108)
Everything Disney can also be found in Play-Doh form, from Disney princesses to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse sets. Fingers-crossed you were gifted this Mickey Mouse Treasure Ship Play-Doh set back in the 1990s and kept the box...These days, Disneyana enthusiasts will fork out up to $140 (£108) for the toy if it comes with its original packaging.
Courtesy Disney Music Emporium
Disneyland Records The Enchanted Tiki Room from Disneyland Vinyl LP: up to $140 (£108)
Disneyland Records' LPs from the 1960s can fetch very high prices. People wanting to relive their time at a Disneyland Park without making the trip have been known to shell out up to $140 (£108) for this album of tracks from the Tiki Room and Adventurous Jungle Cruise attractions, which was released in 1968.
Tiger Electronics Mickey & Friends handheld game: up to $150 (£116)
The manufacturer of Furby and Giga Pets toys, Tiger Electronics is also fondly remembered for its licensed handheld games. They originally retailed for $20, which translates to $37 (£30) in 2020 money. Today, the Mickey & Friends game from 1990 is selling for $150 (£116) on Amazon. That's quite the price hike.
Courtesy Yurii Onyshchenko/Shutterstock
Disney Beauty and the Beast Toy China tea set: up to $150 (£116)
Tea sets featuring the famous Mrs Potts and son Chip are one of the most popular pieces of Beauty and the Beast memorabilia. The most valuable ones are those that were launched in 1991 to coincide with the film's first release. Today, a boxed example sells for up to $150 (£116).
Courtesy ATC/Western Electric/Amazon
ATC Mickey Mouse push-button telephone: up to $150 (£116)
How adorable is this Mickey Mouse analogue push-button phone from 1976? If you have one knocking about in storage somewhere and were careful to retain the box, you could be sitting on up to $150 (£116).
Courtesy Abby Habhab McBride
McDonald's Happy Meal 101 Dalmatians set: up to $170 (£132)
Disney-branded McDonald's Happy Meal toys can be worth surprising sums of money. Back in 1996, the fast-food chain added plastic puppies to its Happy Meals, as well as releasing a full boxed set of the 101 Dalmatians toys for people who couldn't get through enough burgers to collect them all. The limited edition set was released in 1996 and today can sell for up to $170 (£132).
Courtesy Paula Marcocci Bill
Black Diamond Classic Edition Aladdin VHS tape: up to $200 (£155)
A shocking amount of misinformation surrounds the 1980s and 1990s Black Diamond Disney VHS tapes, with some websites claiming they are worth thousands of dollars a-piece. In reality, these classic video cassettes won't make you rich, however rarer versions such as the Aladdin VHS tape that hit the stores in 1993 can be worth more than you might expect. Today a pristine copy sells for anything up to $200 (£155).
Disney park maps from the 1970s: $210 (£163)
If you or a relative were fortunate enough to visit Disneyland during the 1970s, here's hoping you have an old map of the resort stashed away somewhere. These days, collectors will part with quite a lot of money to get their hands on one – maps similar to the one pictured have been listed on eBay for $210 (£163).
Hasbro Dinosaurs Talking Baby Sinclair doll: up to $250 (£194)
If you discovered one of these Disney Dinosaurs Talking Baby Sinclair dolls in your Christmas stocking back in 1992 and held on to it, you could be in the money. Recently a boxed example sold for $250 (£194) on eBay.
Black Diamond Classic Edition The Little Mermaid original VHS tape: up to $300 (£232)
Back to those much talked about Black Diamond video tapes. The original cover of The Little Mermaid VHS tape from 1990 featured an unintentional phallic tower in the background, which caused a minor scandal at the time and forced Disney to change the artwork on later copies. But original copies with the offending artwork have fetched up to $300 (£232), but the price has fluctuated wildly over the last couple of years.
Bluebird Toys Polly Pocket Beauty and the Beast Magical Castle: up to $600 (£465)
Released in 1997 by Britain's Bluebird Toys, this Beauty and the Beast-themed Polly Pocket castle didn't cost an awful lot of money back in the day, but due to its scarcity today it can sell for anything up to $600 (£465).
Capcom DuckTales 2 NES game: up to $600 (£465)
One of the most sought-after classic NES titles, the video game DuckTales 2, based on the Disney series of the same name, was released by Capcom in 1993 priced at around $30. That's the equivalent of $54 (£42) in 2020. These days, serious collectors don't think twice about paying up to $600 (£465) to secure a copy of the game.
Mr. Incredible (Blue Suit) Pop! Vinyl: $700 (£539)
There are over 8,000 Pop! Vinyl figures available, with new limited edition versions being released at San Diego Comic-Con each year. The 3 3/4 inch collectables can be picked up for as little as $13 (£9.99), but boxed, rarer figures are set to be worth a lot more in the future, with this Mr. Incredible Pop! Vinyl figure having recently sold on eBay for $700 (£539).
Pez Mary Poppins dispenser: up to $800 (£619)
A one-of-a-kind soft-head Mickey Mouse prototype holds the record for the most valuable Pez candy dispenser ever sold, netting its owner $7,000 (£5.7k). Other Disney Pez dispensers are super-valuable too, including this Mary Poppins version, which sold recently for $800 (£619).
50 Christmas presents that are now worth a fortune
Courtesy The Bradford Exchange/Amazon
Disney snow globes: around $1,000 (£774)
For every Disney film there is a collection of snowglobes illustrating the movie's best bits, and rarer globes are big collector items. Some globes can be picked up fairly cheaply online (like the one pictured), but a Hunchback of Notre Dame snow globe recently sold on eBay for $1,000 (£774) as it was one of only 750 that had been made.
Knickerbocker Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs doll set: up to $1,500 (£1.2k)
If you've inherited a Knickerbocker Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs doll set, then lucky you. Owning the set of eight vintage figures puts you in good stead to make around $1,500 (£1.2k) from keen collectors looking to snap up the 1937 dolls.
Courtesy Van Eaton Galleries/Live Auctioneers
Charlotte Clark Mickey Mouse Doll: $2,000 (£1.5k)
The 1920s seamstress Charlotte Clark made a name for herself when her charming doll depictions of Mickey and Minnie Mouse caught the attention of Walt and Roy Disney. Around 100 years later and her pieces have become some of the most coveted Disney collectables out there, with this Mickey doll having sold for $2,000 (£1.5k) at auction in August 2019, even though it's not in perfect condition.
Read the story of Walt Disney and how the brand has taken over the world
Dan Morphy Auctions/Live Auctioneers
Walt Disney sand pail: $4,000 (£3.1k)
Other collectables might 'pail' in comparison to this piece, but if you've got any household items decorated with Disney artwork, it could be worth having them valued as they could be worth a bucketload. Puns aside, if you or your children have been carrying sand around in something similar to this, stop and get an expert opinion, because you could be lugging around a bucket worth as much as $4,000 (£3.1k).
Courtesy Tina & Jennie's Disney Collectibles
Harrods Limited Frozen Anna and Elsa doll set: up to $4,000 (£3.1k)
In 2013, upmarket London department store Harrods released 100 luxury Frozen Anna and Elsa doll sets, which had a retail price of $612 (£500). But given their rarity, each set is now worth up to $4,000 (£3.1k), which makes for an excellent return on the princess dolls. It may leave you wishing that your kids had left more of their toys in the packaging...
Tom Harris Auctions/Live Auctioneers
1935 Donald Duck wristwatch: $5,500 (£4.2k)
While there's a slim chance that you'll have this exact $5,500 (£4.2k) 1935 Donald Duck wristwatch lying around at home, Disney fans are always keen to snap up watches that feature beloved characters. Who knows, maybe yours is one of the less common ones and could have Disney lovers bidding into the thousands...
Dan Morphy Auctions/Live Auctioneers
Tin Mickey Mouse mechanical bank: $8,000 (£6k)
There were four variations of this tin mechanical bank first produced in Germany in the 1930s, and all of them are now valuable if they've been kept in good nick. This particular model reached an impressive $8,000 (£6k) at auction in 2017 so forget using it to store your pennies, because this bank is worth some serious cash.
Golden Age Comics Walt Disney Comics and Stories: up to $10,000 (£7.7k)
Like the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs doll set, this is one piece of vintage Disney merch that you really wished you'd inherited. Launched in 1940 priced at just 10 cents, which works out at $9.21 (£7.13) today, first-edition copies of the old comics are now worth up to $10,000 (£7.7k).
Dan Morphy Auctions/Live Auctioneers
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs radio: $11,500 (£8.8k)
Disney's first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, is popular for its memorabilia, and this radio comes in at one of the most valuable. The pre-war radio came with all of its original parts and was in excellent condition, which prompted the winning bidder to put down an offer of $11,500 (£8.8k) to seal the deal when the piece came up for sale in 2011.
Courtesy Bertoia Auctions/Live Auctioneers
1930s tin Mickey and Minnie toy: $47,500 (£36.5k)
Tin toys were all the rage in the 1930s and this Tipp & Co Minnie and Mickey motorcycle piece is pretty well-known within the Disneyana collector community. At just under 10 inches in size, these lithography figures sold for a whopping $47,500 (£36.5k) at an auction in 2013, thanks to the their vibrant colours and their rarity. This tin figures may be a toy, but that's not a sum to be played around with.
Now read about the famous companies founded the year you were born