Today, we’re talking toys.
Did you know that the largest car company in the world isn’t a car company at all?
That’s right, it’s Mattel, which sells 960 toy cars per minute. (That’s sixty times higher than Toyota’s 16 per minute. Pathetic!)
Mattel has sold over four billion Hot Wheels, and you may recall from our issue on Hot Wheels that this isn’t just the most popular toy of all time; a few of them can make great investments.
We know everyone’s celebrating, so enjoy this short, fun issue.
No big 2022 retrospective, no 2023 predictions. Just some of the most expensive toys in the world.
Let’s go 👇
Table of Contents
Retro toys
Toys are nostalgia bombs. They help us bond with our kids, and they can make great collectibles and even investments.
But some toys hold a lot more than sweet childhood memories. They have some of the highest price tags in the world, along with an astonishing amount of history.
Here are some of the most expensive and iconic toys from the 20th century:
The Astolat Dollhouse Castle ($8.5m)
Created between 1974 and 1987 (yes, it took 13 years to build) this museum-quality dollhouse was inspired by Alfred Tennyson’s poetry about the Lady of Astolat.
Often cited as The most valuable dollhouse in the world, this masterpiece weighs 800 pounds and stands 9 feet tall.
The 29-room structure features a massive collection of 10,000 handcrafted miniature figurines and furnishings. There are stained glass windows, golden chandeliers, and original mini works of art.
The tiny fireplaces are all functional, and the house features the smallest antique Bible in the world, which you can actually read with a magnifying glass!
It even has its own site, with a full-fledged gallery. I completely get why it’s worth eight and a half million dollars.
The Bird trainer doll ($6.25m)
The L’Oiseleur Bird Trainer automaton doll, otherwise known as the world’s most expensive automata toy, was created by the famous French master Christian Bailly.
The doll is a 4-ft-tall figure of a young man carrying a sword, holding a flute, and dressed in embroidered Renaissance garb. It’s perfect Swiss watch-making mechanics, but applied to a large doll.
This toy weighs 121 pounds and has 2,400 parts. It holds 20 world records and costs more than any other antique doll.
But the “automated” part makes it truly impressive — when the figure is wound with a key, the man brings a flute to his lips, and his fingers move while two melodies play. The birds on his arm and shoulder also spin and open their beaks to sing, producing two more melodies.
“If I had known what it would cost me, I wouldn’t start.” – Christian Bailly, understandably.
Golden Monopoly ($2m)
Next on our list is this iconic 1988 rendition of Monopoly, which is also the most expensive board game in the world.
The exclusive Monopoly set was rafted by the jeweler Sidney Mobell with 23-carat gold, rubies, and sapphires atop the chimneys of the solid gold houses and hotels.
The dice in this set are adorned with 42 full-cut diamonds. The price of the dice alone is around $10,000.
Only one Golden Monopoly exists globally, and it’s currently owned by the Smithsonian.
