The Hidden Value of Toy Accessories: Why Missing Pieces Matter

Have you ever thought that your toy accessories have no value or that they don't really matter if they go missing or get broken because they're so small? This is a common misconception when it comes to toys and holds great weight, especially with the vintage toy market today. What I hope you find throughout this blog is that every little piece holds value in regards to the toy as a whole.

Whether it comes from an action figure, a vehicle, or a playset, you will find that the value of toy accessories are most likely much greater than you realized. They have a lasting impact when it comes to selling your toys and when it comes to purchasing other people's toys. Follow along in our blog with us as we mention the numerous things to notice about the value of toy accessories. We will mention many different factors that play into this and give insight on why these missing pieces really matter.

The Value of Toy Accessories

Follow along with us in our blog to see why missing pieces matter in the value of toys. We will dive into the many factors that contribute to this including the condition that the toy is in, rarity of the toy, nostalgia, and the fact that the accessory adds or completes the character and theme of the toys. All of these factors matter when looking at how much value your toy holds. When pieces go missing or broken, the entire value of the toy decreases tremendously.

The value of a piece becomes noticed often in one of two instances. First, when the person misses a piece from a toy they own themselves. They notice that it misses a piece and go to sell it. Then they notice that the value of their item lowers much more than they anticipated. Another instance takes place when someone owns only an accessory without the main toy. They may find that when they go to sell this item, it won't sell at a high price just from its appearance or nostalgia. However, someone may pay a higher price than necessary for the item in order to complete their own set. Either way, doing everything you can to keep the accessories with their corresponding toys remains the best possible option.

Condition

First up, the condition plays a huge role in the value of toy accessories. Toys that remain in mint condition in their original boxes hold the highest value. These include toys that remain unopened in their original packaging with all parts there and in tact. Here, any torn tape, yellowing, scratches, peeled paint, or broken parts affect the overall value of the item. The second the packaging opens or a piece goes missing, the toy automatically decreases in value due to the toy's condition. This is also why companies use grading systems to assess the condition of their toys so people buying the item know if the listed price matches how much it should actually cost.

When a piece from an action figure, vehicle, or playset goes missing it greatly decreases the value for this reason. People won't pay high prices for something that is only partly complete. They want the whole thing, especially with old toys that aren't produced anymore.

On the flip side, yes it is true that a complete set holds a way higher value, but if someone needs that piece in order to complete their toy then they may pay individually for that piece. So, it is possible to make money off of individual pieces of toys if you lost the figure itself. However, though someone may be searching for the specific piece, it still won't sell for a lot of money just on its own. If someone searches out a specific part, that often means both the buyer and seller don't have the completed toy and it certainly remains not in mint condition.

Rarity

Along with the fact that the condition of toys plays a huge factor into the value of toy accessories, rarity of the item also plays a big factor. Since most vintage toys stopped production decades ago, people often search far and wide for these items. These toys remain incredibly difficult to find as they no longer release to stores.

Also, some toy brands only released for a short amount of time making it that much more difficult for people to get their hands on specific items. Because of this factor, it stands incredibly rare for people to find a vintage toy they wish to purchase that includes all its original pieces. This is why so many old toys sell for such high prices, they remain difficult to find in their rarity and completeness.

Many small parts from toys also go missing or get broken over the years. This also holds a factor into why complete sets hold higher values. These small parts hold so much more value than many people realize and once they go missing or get broken, they may try to sell their toys but do not get the same value out of them than other people with completed sets do.

However, these same pieces from rare toys also remain harder for people to get their hands on. From this, if people search for a specific piece in order to complete their rare toy, they might pay higher than needed for a piece. This, also is rare since many people who purchase these parts understand the value of their toy already and know that it won't sell for as much as one that remains in mint, unopened condition.

Nostalgia

Toys create great nostalgia for many people. Because of this, the factor of nostalgia often plays the highest role into why people get started in collecting vintage toys in the first place. They remember those toys they once loved and played with all of the time and they wish to see them and own them again. Especially when they played with them a lot growing up, their toys got damaged and maybe thrown away or donated but to own the toy in good condition with all the parts they remember playing with, stands very important for so many people.

It can be disappointing for people to receive their item in the mail that they searched so hard for to only notice that it is missing a piece that they so fondly remember. People want the completed toy to add to their collection, not a mostly completed toy. Also, for people who collect for many years, they may have a big collection and wish to only add the best things into their collection.

Many of the uncompleted toys go unpurchased online because the completed ones get so sought out. Also, the nostalgia makes the demand of an item rise which makes the value rise. However, most of the time, the more missing pieces from an item, the lower the item sells for.

Personality and Theme

Next up on our blog of mentioning the value of toy accessories, we will mention how the accessories add personality to the figure. Along with this, the accessories add to the theme of the overall figure, playset, or vehicle within the specific toy line. Accessories prove essential to action figures often by making the character who the maker intended he or she to be. For instance, Captain America would not be Captain America without his shield and Batman would not be Batman without his mask. This principle follows for so many other characters.

Designers make accessories for characters because they add to the overall personality and distinction of each character. Since the character in an action film, comic book, or cartoon owns their specific accessory or weapon, the toys created from these should as well. When these toys go missing or broken, they lose some of the character's personality as well.

Also, accessories on vehicles also hold value and importance. Some of these literally hold the vehicle together, while others just add to the appearance. Many vehicles in toy lines come with weapons attached to the side or sticker decals. They need these pieces in order to create the same theme or personality. For example, the Sky Commanders vehicles need their powerband and transport in order to soar across the air. This small accessory is vital to the whole point of the toy. However, if this item breaks or disappears then it loses a lot of its value, personality, and theme. Also, Imagine a vehicle that normally includes weapons on the side but no longer does. It no longer holds the same theme since the weapons are the thing that makes the vehicle appear so epic. Without them, the vehicle just appears as any other ordinary vehicle.

This same concept also applies to play sets. Similar to the vehicles and action figures, when a piece breaks or disappears from the play set, it loses a lot of its theme and value. Often times, play sets sell for higher amounts of money since they include so many pieces and stand larger in size. However, when the playset sells incomplete, the action figures a child plays with may not utilize the same things and the playset loses its versatility. For instance, if a playset misses a weapon or a platform for figures to stand on, the play opportunities for children diminish due to the lack of completeness of the playset.

Final Thoughts

From this blog, we see the great value of toy accessories. We can know that the details of toys, down to the very small weapons of action figures or a little accessory of a doll, make a huge impact when it comes to the value. The condition, rarity, nostalgia, character personality, and character or toy line theme all play a big factor into how much a toy costs when purchasing and how much to sell it for. If at all possible, keeping the toy in its original packaging, unopened, with all parts still intact will hold the highest possible value for your action figures, vehicles, and playsets.

Do You Have Old And Used Toys With Or Without Accessories?

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 vintage toy collection.