TRANSCRIPT
Gerry Anderson's famous puppet series Thunderbirds was an early adopter of TV tie-in toys. SInce it was first broadcast in the 1960s - and it's been on here in Australia almost continuously since then - the series generated more than 3000 tie in products.
Within the first year, those products generated the equivalent of nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in today's money.
Since then, collectible toys have become very valuable - and one of the biggest Toy Collectors' fairs takes place in Birmingham in the UK.
Dave Hinett is a toy collector and dealer:
"You'll see a toy that you had when you were three or four, and just the memories just hit you. I remember being in the house with my brother, and we had these cars, and we'd run them in the garden covered in mud or whatever, or we had the Millennium Falcon, and we threw it down the stairs or whatever. I think it is, it's that trigger to your childhood. And I think that's the biggest power of old toys."
One franchise that continues to fetch big money is Star Wars, particularly original action figures from the 1980s.
Some figures, still in their original packaging, are being sold for up to $1100 at the fair.
Mr Hinett says on a good day, he can make big money - His record in a day is nearly $10,000.
"I'd be lying if we all said we do it for the fun. We do it for the money at the end of the day, however, 50% of it and probably 75% is the social aspect, because you get to know people. People come back and buy more stuff and you just get to know these guys. And then for me, I chase stuff. So, somebody wants a certain thing and I say: 'Oh yeah, I'll look for you.' And it's about the social thing."
Another popular toy is Action Man, a copy of the American G I Joe toy.
It was marketed by the makers, Palitoy, in the UK and Australia, and licensed in other countries to local manufacturers.
Since its launch in 1966, Action Man, in his various guises and outfits, has enthralled generations of children.
Chris Malbon is an Action Man specialist dealer and has even helped London's prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum sort its Action Man collection.
"Action Man has been very kind to me financially, because I originally started to collect it when it wasn't worth anything at all. And it was always something that was kept underneath the table on most fairs. Whereas recently, I think it's gone quite dramatically upwards."
For 46 years, he's been buying and selling Action Man, and once paid £2,000 for the Flying Space Adventurer and then sold it for £5,000 six months later.
The idea of finding a hidden gem is the main reason many collectors visit fairs.
Most of these toys can be found on online auction sites, but it's a congested market and it's much harder to find a bargain when you're bidding against the rest of the world.
Barry Potter is the organiser of Toy Collectors Fairs and believes there'll always be a place for shows like his.
"I think the real thrill is if you're looking round a fair, not quite knowing what you might come across. And I think you never lose that because you think, well, just around the next corner might be that toy or that train I've been looking for ages, right there."
Maybe it's time to rummage through that old toy box in the attic to see if there's hidden plastic treasure...
