On my 6 hour drive home listening to Smpratte and a thought struck me, kids today are collecting toys that will see a resurgence in 20-30 years time when said kids are our age and have disposable income much like we’re doing with Pokemon. My question to you is what franchise do you see becoming just that? For me, it would be Ninjago seeing as they fit each medium well; they’ve a lego product, movie series, television series as well as a video game, and while I don’t collect them I do see them as a potential investment down the road. Let me hear your thoughts.
Its always fun to speculate what’ll be valuable down the line but people are rarely right about it.
I had to look up what Ninjago was, but its a lego product and obviously the Lego brand is incredibly popular and recognisable and of itself valuable; but can the same be guaranteed for this particular subsidiary? I mean there are countless Lego sets that feature different brands/icons and while it has its own show/games etc those are dime a dozen and (now having had a good look on google trends) it really pales in comparison to the likes of other better known brands (I.e. Harry Potter, Star Wars) that had their own Lego lines. I mean its obviously possible, never rule out anything, but does it have the same emphatic popular culture surrounding it as the other franchises does? If not then the overall lack of demand/nostalgia won’t really drive up the price all that much, assumedly.
Speaking of other Brands to branch out, I’m very sceptical about the future of Funko Pops, I personally dislike them so my bias may influence my opinion and people sure do like spending money either way, but it doesn’t have much of an individual identity beyond its many, many borrowed entities, I feel like if it can’t mark itself out in a more profound way it’ll end up going the way of the Beany Baby!
I’m half joking but kids spend so much time on their Iphones these days, wouldn’t surprise me if sealed original Iphones became a huge collectable in future generations.
I just had to check up the prices for the original Iphone now and according to one article, a sealed 1st gen Iphone went for $4000 last year, for the super duper savvy they could have bought one, kept it sealed, waited a decade, sold it and use the profits to by 4 new ones!
@ankoko i think all ‘early’ apple products will be a sound investment. A sealed 1st Gen iPod nano is now £400.
Reason why I don’t think the Pokemon market will be replicated easy, is because it was a part of my childhood for a good 4/5 years. I simply don’t have nostalgia, nor can I really remember, those fads that only lasted a year.
I’ve noticed that there is a pretty big market for retro football (soccer) boots made from about 1998-2008 - mainly the Adidas predator line. I’ve considered buying boots made today and storing them for 10 years down the line, but again I think the reason the predator is so sought after is because we all grew up with them.
Hey everyone - long time lurker, first time poster. Love the community here!
One of the big reasons I don’t see something like Ninjago hitting the same levels as a 1st Ed PSA 10 Charizard is exclusivity - Ninjago is pretty easy to access if you have the cash. For Charizard though - even if you had the cash and the interest at the time, you would have to have been pretty lucky to even be able to buy a 1st Edition booster box/pack because they sold out so quick. And then assuming you got one - you’d also have to be pretty lucky to pull a Charizard from it. And assuming you managed to buy a box AND pull a Charizard, if the print or centring is a little off, you’re not going to get a gem mint card. It’s not just the popularity of the series (which is massive) it’s also the exclusivity of particular cards that make them valuable.
Saying that, if you want an out there prediction for what the kids of today are going to be buying when they hit disposable income, have a think about digital loot. Think about Pokemon Go - it’s pretty realistic to assume that game will exist in some form for the next 10-20 years. Look at some of the rare Pokemon from that which have had limited windows to acquire (like say Ash Hat Pichu or legacy move Gengar) - these are collectable and already sought after. It’s not a hard stretch to imagine charging money for them (and now trading is a thing, I’m surprised people don’t). This applies equally to the main series games - imagine if you had an original Mew traded for when Red and Blue were new on the street. That would be worth a small fortune today…
I’m sure they will, its such a revered brand that commands loyalty!
Yeah that’s precisely it, Pokemon has been in the popular conscious for decades now, it may have waned at times but the likes of Pikachu are household names in the same way that Mario or Sonic are, additionally, Pokemon Go has really reignited an interest in so many; which I think is in part responsible for the increased demand; and value of numerous cards over the last year- not to mention that the main series of games and spin-offs are still going from strength to strength.
Haha Sneakerheads have been on that grind for a minute, never paid attention myself but damn some of those old Jordans are worth a bomb, doesn’t surprise me that football shoes are going in the same direction!
I’m going to take a wild guess and say no one has compared Beanie Babies to fidget spinners before!
Did fidget spinners ever constitute as a collectable to anyone, they always felt like a meme that slipped into the physical world somehow, Who knows! All I do know is that it was wild walking through town and seeing every other person (not even kids) playing around with one, felt a bit like an episode of Black Mirror.
Most sealed product should do well 30 years from now. Obviously, most will probably barely beat inflation but as we’ve seen before people pay a big premium out of nostalgia over pretty much anything from vinyl records, video games, toys, shoes, electronics, sports and TCG,etc…
Plus most of the things I’ve mentioned won’t even exist anymore. Forget about cardboard games in 30 years… even toys will probably be virtual(VR/AR). lol
The first thing that comes to mind is 1st edition base. lol
But it’s tough because todays kids grew up with an ipad shoved in their face. How can their be a large scale popular hobby or item that will be very valuable in the future? It’s there but it’s harder nowadays to determine. Or that’s how I feel.
First thing besides pokemon that I know will be valuable is the supreme closthing line. People already pay a ton for it. Lots of young kids wait for hours and hours to get the clothing when it’s released. I think some of the original OG supreme tshirts will be in the thousands in the future. The problem is there are so many fakes. You would have to authenticate it or something and sit on it. Plus it would have to fit that person so you would need multiple sizes. Also if you wear it then you’re slowly decreasing the price of it as it degrades in quality.
Crap! Just looked it up and they are already in the thousands for some tshirts in the sold listings on ebay.
For kids collectables that will be valuable later, I don’t know. It’s hard for me to see. Every kid that comes in my door everyday has a phone or ipad glued to them. That much stimulus is hard to beat with a pokemon card. I still hand them out to each kid though.
Oh dang, I lament to admit it, but Supreme definitely has potential, that brand is practically deified at this point and is so heavily entrenched in celebrity culture.
Ugghh… Kinda makes me a little sad though, I mean a booster pack cost £2.50 back in the day (like $3ish dollars I’m assuming?, not to say modern product is any more expensive really) I could pick up a few packs a week by courtesy of my parents, but Supreme!? Its already so expensive, even their basic-ass (and IMO boring) t-shirts haha!
You’re right about all the tech though, it’ll take something really groundbreaking to draw their attention away from social media and nurture that nostalgia, maybe that’s a good way to tell what will be valuable one day? If the kids aren’t paying attention to their phones, figure out why and invest in it!