Toys

I've been very, very busy the last couple of days but I promise to make up for it with some extra blog posts. First off here is a wonderful piece from the US edition of our favourite programme. It's an antique toy pig!

The enduring appeal to collectors of toys of all types is exemplified by the Toy Collectors Fair that will take place at the Yorkshire Event Centre on 17 January. There will be everything from Star Wars and Dr Who action figures to model railways, teddy bears, dolls, Dinky Toys, Scalextric and much more on over 350 different stalls.

Barry Potter, organiser of the event summed it up well saying, "People love nostalgia, most of the visitors to our toy fairs are not kids, but grown adults who want to bring back a few happy memories or to build up a small collection, whether it be Hornby trains, Star Wars figures, dolls or Subbuteo, there has been a real rise in people collecting lately".

Barry goes on to offer one very god piece of advice. "It's always great when a collectable becomes much more valuable over time, but my advice would be to buy whatever interests you personally, then no matter whether it goes up in price or not, you'll always be happy with it".

The show starts at 10.30am on Sunday 17 January and there is free parking for all visitors to the fair. Admission is £3.50 Adults, £3 Senior Citizens and £1 Children (under 5's are free). For more information click HERE

It's that time of the year when many children will have received the latest game for their hand-held electronic console. Others will have received other games or toys that could in the future be worth lots of money to collectors – the question is, which ones?

In one of our recent online artircles that you can read when you sign up for the blog, Mark Hill took a look at retro computer games that may give you some useful pointers. You can read it HERE but only once you've signed up to the Millers' web site!

Just catching up on the news from home online and I spotted this article from the Daily Mail on Toy Soldiers which is interesting.

Disney collectables remain one of the best supported and get some of the highest prices when rare items come up for sale. So there’s no doubt that a new Walt Disney Family Museum dedicated to telling the story of the man that is to open in San Francisco at a former U.S. military facility will attract many visitors. It will open its doors on 1 October and will include 10 chronological theme galleries, many interactive features and a 5 1/2-foot "video globe" on which will be projected highlights of Disney's life. Many parts of the exhibition will be narrated by the voice of Walt, caught on tape by his daughter Diane in the 1950s.

We have some Disneyalia on the site that you can look at and I’d encourage any of you interested not just in collecting Disney items but in any antiques and collectables to register (for free) and then you can explore the whole of Miller’s Antiques and Collectables. We have ten thousands of online items described and valued including this 1930s lithographed tin Walt Disney Enterprises children's pail, with Minnie Mouse in a car, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. 8in (20cm) high