A beautiful collection of vintage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures is coming soon to our online gallery, GoBackToThePast.Shop! They’re all mint-in-package, looking for all the world like they came straight from the factory. Heck, most of them are even unpunched! We thought we’d give a little background on why a collection of TMNT toys like this is such a cool thing.
Anxious to see what we’ve got? Follow us on social media @b2pCollect! We will not be quiet about it once this collection is available for sale.
From Comic Cons to Toy Stores
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 was launched by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird on the east coast comic con circuit in spring 1984. It was an instant hit with indie comics collectors, selling out its first printing quickly and growing from a one shot to an ongoing comic series. Successive issues would likewise sell out, and the series quickly became a darling of the black-and-white indie comics scene.
But even though the comic was intended for adults, there was an unmistakable fact about the concept: it’s VERY toyetic. Playmates Toys licensed the comic in 1987 and teamed up with Fred Wolf Films to make a cartoon based on the toy version of the Turtles that same year. Both proved instant hits with kids, with the action figures quickly becoming the third bestseller of all time behind G.I. Joe and Star Wars. Ninja Turtles toys have been on toy store shelves nearly continuously ever since, with new cartoons and films keeping a steady supply of new ninjas and mutants flowing into Playmates Toys.
Why Are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Toys Worth Money?
The original TMNT toyline is one of the last major ones where mint-in-package toys have appreciably grown in value. Iconic toylines from just a few years later, like Kenner’s Batman or Toy Biz’s X-Men are, for the most part, saleable by the case. But the Ninja Turtles have a ton of rare and valuable figures, many of which are worth grading. They benefit from what we call the Nostalgia Gap.
No one in 1987 had grown up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This means that the number of specimens preserved rather than played with is smaller than those of its contemporaries. Playmates’ other early 90s juggernaut, Star Trek, is a fantastic example of this in action. Same company, same era, same general philosophy (a wide range of unique figures), but worth far less money today. Why? Because lifelong Trekkies bought them up and kept them mint in large numbers.
Is Your Toy Collection Worth Money?
If you’ve got a collection that you’re ready to sell, let Back to the Past! We can evaluate your collection and tell you the best way to get it sold. Will it do better at auction or in a storefront? Is it worth it to sell individual pieces or should you be selling it bulk? These are questions we can help to answer AND we can usually get the collection sold with no extra work on your part! Drop us a line today to get the process started.