Vintage toys: a buyer's guide

This Chinese Thinkway Toys posable, speaking Buzz Lightyear, in full working order was the first edition of Buzz, when people queued around the block to get him for Christmas. In this condition you could easily find him at a car boot sale for £8. Mint and boxed he’s worth £30. Is he a collectible of the future? Possibly, although due to the frenzy at the time (1995), there are probably a surfeit of pristine Buzz Lightyears lurking in attics worldwide. Photograph: millersonline.com

Pez were invented by Viennese confectioner Eduard Haas III in 1927. They were breath fresheners aimed at adults. The company expanded into the US in 1952 and introduced character heads on to the dispensers. One of many variations of Batman Pez dispensers, this 1960s version of the DC Comics superhero, with a detachable cape, has remained a firm collector’s favourite. £70
Photograph: millersonline.com

A 1930 teddy bear by the Lines Brothers, a good English maker established circa 1850. Lines and Co registered the name of Pedigree in 1931 and by 1938 a whole range of Pedigree bears were being produced. Although this bear is from the golden period of English bears, his mohair plush, which has a small hump, is play-worn and the felt pads are replacement, so he’s worth about £100. Photograph: millersonline.com

Any toy connected with cult TV series Doctor Who, which aired for the first time in 1963, is hugely desirable. This Codeg clockwork 117-22 Dalek in excellent condition with original box was introduced in 1964 and retailed at the massive sum of 17s 11d. Having been told it was too expensive at the time, 1960s children are now prepared to pay more than £500 to feel that same frisson of fear. Photograph: millersonline.com

Barbie was introduced by Mattel, based in Hawthorne, California, in 1959. She was the most successful teenage fashion doll ever made. (An original Barbie in mint condition has sold for more than £18,000.) The hairstyle of this brunette Barbie indicates a date of 1961-1967. With its original box and brochure, and in good condition, she’s likely to fetch upwards of £100. Photograph: millersonline.com

There are many things that make an object desirable: a fantastic maker such as Steiff (famous for teddies); the pull of nostalgia (in this case 1959); the quirkiness of the subject; the excellent condition (this model, 1310, even retains his original label). It all points to a price of around £180. It has also been suggested that not many people wanted Eric the Bat in 1959, which makes him rare and desirable now. Photograph: Millersonline.com

This 1966-67 Corgi Toys Gift Set, with Bentley, Lotus Elan and two figures, is desirable as it combines the brand of Corgi with cult TV show The Avengers. The box is slightly misshapen and lacking one side flap, hence the price of £250. In mint condition it would be worth well over £300. Photograph: millersonline.com

This doll is a combination of two of the great German Thuringian doll makers. It’s a Kammer and Reinhardt model 126 doll with a bisque head by Simon and Halbig, with “flirty” glass eyes (made circa 1920). Realistic and rosy-cheeked, this somewhat spooky doll is worth £300. Photograph: millersonline.com

From the 1920s onwards, US company Louis Marx and Co produced a wide range of charming wind-up toys. The Marx Merry Makers With Marquee is one of the most recognisable and desirable, being worth around £800 in good condition (the clockwork must be in working order). It comprises a four-mouse band: one playing the piano, one a drum and a third dancing beside the piano. The fourth mouse either conducted the band or played the violin. Photograph: millersonline.com