Whether you came home with a brand-new toy from the store or recently bought a mint-in-box vintage toy from overseas, it is important to understand how to save your toys for the future. Proper storage and maintenance will keep your action figures protected from failures, damage, and the ravages of time. You may even save cheap toys that are prone to failure with proper care.
When toys are taken care of, they can prove to be a valuable investment. Even for collectors that never intend to sell their toys, they should understand how to save them for the future. This way, their collectibles will be pristine and ready for display for years to come.
Unfortunately, it is as simple as keeping toys in their boxes and storing them away for the future. Many action figures can be irreversibly damaged while in storage. So, it is important to understand these dangers and keep your toys saved from disaster.
Luckily, you do not need to blindly seek out the proper ways to maintain and store your collection. Over our decades in the business, we have seen and tested many ways to protect valuable action figures and collectibles. We are happy to share with you the lessons that we have learned so that you can save your toys from the ravages of time.
What are the best ways to save my displayed toys from environmental damage?
Many collectors prefer to show off their collections and keep them out for display. Unfortunately, openly presenting your toys and collectibles exposes them to the highest risks. Aside from the dust in the air, there are many more environmental hazards. Everything from extreme temperatures to the sun can harm these collectibles. Moreover, old and vintage action figures may spontaneously fail once exposed to oxygen in the air.
With so many potentially disastrous hazards, every collector needs to understand how to keep their toys safe. The proper steps will save future hassles and keep your collectibles in pristine shape for years to come. That way, you can openly display your valuable collectibles without any worries.
Still, you should understand that any open collectible or toy is at risk. No matter what steps you take, some toys will inevitably fail given enough time. Some collectibles are prone to failure, so they become a ticking time bomb.
What can damage collectibles and toys around the house?
The most obvious element that will tarnish your collectibles around the house is dust. No matter what type of home you live in, dust is an always-present factor. These particles form from uplifted dirt that enters the house as well as the flaking of dead skin. So, there is no way to completely eradicate dust. If your toys and collectibles are not properly protected or dusted often, the build-up of dust may cause staining and discoloration.
However, there could be something even more disastrous in the air that may cause even worse damage. If your toys are displayed or stored near a kitchen, grease, and smoke from the cooking process will eventually settle on them. This grease builds up quickly and will stick to the plastic of most collectibles. Even metal collectibles would be tarnished from grease in the air.
Otherwise, exposure to light will cause damage to your collectibles and toy collection. While some toys may become sun-bleached or yellow nearly instantaneously, others will slowly change color over the years. However, unless you plan to store your action figures away in a dark corner, there is no way to avoid all light exposure. Still, we will explain how you can protect your toys from UV light.
The final common hazard around the house is extreme temperatures. Many houses will have a form of environmental control, like a central air conditioning unit. However, many rooms and houses will not have environmental controls. Moreover, there are parts of a house that will still experience extreme temperatures even with central air. So, it is imperative to understand how extreme heat and cold can damage your possessions.
Display cases and plexiglass
There are many options to display toys and collectibles from shelves to bookcases. However, open displays require a lot of maintenance and cleaning. So, most collectors prefer to display their favorite toys and possessions behind the protection of glass.
The easiest way to set up a glass display cabinet would be to add a plexiglass or glass door to your display case. For some stores, like Ikea, glass doors are an available option for their bookcases. However, they are not available for every bookcase or cabinet option, and some of these doors have wooden borders that limit the field of view. Because of these limitations, many collectors elect to create custom case doors out of plexiglass.
Another choice is to buy a glass display unit that would provide the maximum number of viewing angles. With glass doors, sides, and shelves, there are no visual obstructions to the toys. However, these units also expose these products to the greatest amount of light. If discoloration is a concern, it may not be the best choice to display your collectibles in a glass unit.
While many collectors will work with store-bought furniture, some opt to have their display cases custom-built. While a customized display case would perfectly fit the toys in your collection, they also can be more costly. The costs only rise when a service builds the custom unit for you. So, it is always important to pick the option that fits your budget.
Individual cases for your toys
Many collectors only have small collections and do not want to dedicate an entire display case to their vintage toys. Meanwhile, others want another level of protection for their most valuable collectibles. For both of those groups, there are options to secure individual collectibles in sealed cases.
For instance, services like the AFA and CAS will enclose all graded collectibles and toys within sealed acrylic cases. These cases secure the action figures in place, reducing the chances of accidental damage from movement, positioning, or falls. Since these cases are sealed, no additional dust will settle on the enclosed collectibles.
While grading services’ acrylic cases are convenient, it is not reasonable to send in every collectible and toy to be graded. Many products receive no benefit from the grading services, leading to the collector losing money in the transaction. The risk of having fragile vintage toys break in transit is also a valid concern. So, these collectors should instead only buy the cases.
UV cases to protect your collectibles from light
Beyond securing toys from movement and protecting them from dust, individual cases could provide another layer of protection. Some companies offer display cases that will filter out UV light. The UV range of light is often the cause of discoloration and sun bleaching. So, it is ideal to invest in a UV light-filtering case for collectibles that are displayed in windows or other well-lit areas.
Protecting your toys from light exposure is important even when they are still in their factory packaging. The plastic used for blisters and display windows can become brittle and yellow with exposure to light. Over time, this yellowing will ruin your mint-in-box products because the plastic will crack and shatter. So, UV filtering cases for MIB collectibles are ideal.
Is it safe to display toys on a stand?
Many collectors want to pose their toys when setting them up for display. While some action figures easily stand without assistance, multiple figures would instead topple over no matter what pose they are in. Otherwise, you may want to display your toy in an action pose that would unbalance it. In these cases, display stands are very tempting.
Unfortunately, no matter what sort of stand you decide on, there is always the risk of paint chipping or scratches. The toy may also suffer damage if it shifts in or falls off the stand for any reason. If this is at all a concern, you may want to avoid putting your toy on a stand.
The risk of damaging paint also comes into play when placing accessories in the hands of your toys. As with a stand, the two plastics rubbing against each other will potentially cause the paint to chip or rub off. This danger only mounts with repeated use. For these reasons, some collectors save themselves the hassle and never display their toys with accessories attached or in their hands.
Do not forget to frequently dust and clean to save your toys from damage
No matter how you choose to display your collection, you will need to maintain and clean your collection. All standard cases, whether they have glass or plexiglass covers or not, will allow air and dust to slip inside. So, while these cases will make dusting and other cleaning less necessary, you will still need to keep your collection clean. This is even truer for toys that are openly displayed on shelves or bookcases.
Not only does dust build up unsightly, but it will also damage your collectibles and toys if left unattended. Worse yet, if a toy is exposed to any pest infestation, there may be more than just dust on it. So, it is imperative to regularly dust off and maintain your collection.
While you do not need to dust off the toys that are inside sealed acrylic cases, you will need to periodically clean the case itself. Dust and other particulates can scratch up, discolor, and cloud up the acrylic if left unattended. So, you will want to clean the cases to keep them in the best condition.
Avoid cleaning plastics with these products
Unfortunately, many cleaning products can cause just as much damage as grease, heat, or the sun. Toys cleaned with the wrong products may wind up discolored. Otherwise, the products will distort the plastic and make it gummy. Die-cast toys and collectibles may be damaged by the wrong cleaning products. For, the metal may be stripped or stained.
Collectors need to be aware of the abrasive properties of cleaners and how strong the chemicals are. While it may seem obvious to keep products like bleach away from your collection, other cleaners are not as obvious.
Some of the most common cleaning materials, like Windex, are a poor choice for cleaning your plastic toys. The ammonia in this cleaner will damage these products. Instead, you should mostly aim to gently dust off your toys. If further cleaning is required, warm water with a drop of dawn will help wipe away any grime on plastics. However, you should keep in mind to avoid exposing your die-cast and other metal collectibles to water.
Where are the safest places to store my old and used toys?
It is common for collectors to have both display copies and unopened copies of their favorite collectibles. Usually, they will save these action figures in storage to preserve their condition and value. Even though it sounds like a simple task to store away action figures and other toys, improper storage can ruin a collection.
First, it is important to properly pack away your collection. If you happen to still have the boxes for your toys, you may use the original plastic and other packaging to keep your toys safe once more. You should understand that the plastic will lose integrity each time you remove and insert a toy inside. Moreover, the lack of zip ties or other restraining elements will allow the toys to slide about within the original packaging.
Aside from the original packaging, collectors can safely store their loose toys in Ziplock bags. If you still have the original accessories, keep them bagged and packaged along with the main toy. If you are concerned about paint scratching, you may bag the main toy and accessories separately before setting them inside a larger bag. Finally, you should consider using bubble wrap, packing paper, foam, or another packing material to keep your toys from bumping against each other while in storage.
Why you should not store your toys in a hot attic
Even after you safely pack away your toys for storage, you still need to pick the right location to store your collection. This is the most crucial step that should not be overlooked. Many places in a house lack the environmental controls that you are accustomed to in the living area. So, your collectibles and toys may be subjected to horrendously extreme temperatures that will absolutely wreck them.
A common place to store away possessions is the attic. Even if your house has central A/C, it will likely lack any ducts that will allow it to manage the temperature of the attic. This is especially true if your attic is only a simple crawl space between the ceiling of your living area and the roof. So, these areas will become extremely hot during the summer or extremely cold during the winter. This may also be true of your garage and especially true of most outdoor sheds.
The plastic of your toys will heat up as they sit in extremely elevated temperatures. This will lead to warping in the mildest of cases, to snapping of leg bands and joints in the most extreme of cases. Likewise, exposure to freezing weather will also make the plastic brittle. Even die-cast toys will suffer while exposed to extreme temperatures.
The dangers of a damp basement
Basements, on the other hand, often will not reach such extreme temperatures. The insulation and duct within the basement will keep the temperature closer to room temperature. However, they can still reach extremely cold temperatures depending on the climate.
While you might have a fully climate-controlled basement, you need to be wary if the basement is below ground level. Usually, the first place for a house to flood is the basement. Even without a flood, the basement might be damp or humid. These conditions are also not ideal for toy storage.
For loose toys, exposure to moist, damp, and humid areas will distort the color of your toys. Meanwhile, your mint-in-box action figures will also suffer because the cardboard will deteriorate from the water in the air. Damp environments may also encourage infestations or mold. So, you want to avoid these conditions if you want to save your toys for the future.
What you should do to save your toys when your move between houses
In many ways, packing your toys away for storage around the house is the same as packaging them for moving. However, you want to make certain that your toys are secured since most moving vans, trucks, and other transport will shift about. So, while light packing materials are appropriate for home storage, you want to apply even more packing for transportation.
When you pack away your action figures and other collectibles for a move, you must avoid packing loose figures too tightly. While they should be snugly packed to prevent movement, pushing them together may put too much strain on the joints, plastic, and other fragile parts.
You also need to avoid applying tape to the toys themselves, especially the factory packaging. Tape and adhesives will damage the cardboard and paint. Unless you plan to use adhesive remover, which can also cause damage, you should avoid applying adhesives to the blisters and plastic windows as well. A gentler solution is lightly rubber-banding the packing material around your collectibles.
Beyond properly packing away your toys, you also need to be aware of the temperatures within the moving vehicles. Many moving vans do not have insulation or environmental controls that will keep the inside of the box cool. So, your toys may become superheated while sitting in the back of the truck, especially if you are moving in the middle of summer.
The safest way to ship your toys to a new home or owner
Similarly, you want to securely pack your toys when you are shipping them off to a new location. As you will have little control over the handling of your packages, you will want to securely pack your collectibles so they do not move in transit.
One of the best ways to prevent additional movement is to pick the right size box. You will want a box that is both small enough to prevent excessive movement, and large enough to accommodate padding to absorb shocks. Moreover, the box that you pick should be in good condition. Banged-up, torn, and worn boxes will only receive more damage in transit and may break open. You also want to properly tape up the box so that it will not open mid-transit.
Finally, you need to be aware that shipping insurance may help you cover the value of your collectibles. However, it does not ensure that nothing will happen to your action figures and other toys. If the worst happens and your box opens mid-transit, your toys may get damaged, lost, or lost pieces.
Do you have old and used toys?
If you have a collection of old and used toys, you can turn those toys into cash. There is no reason to let those old toys collect dust. Contact us today to sell your toy collection.
Our professional, friendly, and expert staff have decades of experience as collectible toy buyers. If you are ready to sell your collection today, fill out the form below or call us at 888-946-2895.
Made in collaboration with:
Chris Ingledue
Contact: email
Bio: I am the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab pop Culture and Toy Shop. My vision has always been to reunite customers with their favorite childhood toys and pop culture, triggering fond memories, and reigniting their imaginations. Every day, I work in the “lab” where it’s Christmas 365 days a year. I scour the internet, like when we had the Sears Catalog of yesteryear, for the next great treasure. Then, I await the arrival of the postman as if he were Santa Claus himself and helping collectors worldwide with their versions of Christmas. Every day as a vintage toy buyer is an absolute joy!