15 Action Figures That Are Worth a Small Fortune

One of the easiest ways to make extra money online may involve a bit of fun. Action figures that were collected decades ago may be worth quite a few bucks today.

Now may be the time to dig through your old action figures and toys to see if you have any of these items that are worth more than you may think.

Known as the “Holy Grail” of Star Wars collectibles, it’s unlikely you’ll ever come across one of these rare figurines, one of which sold at an auction in 2024 for a whopping $1.3 million.

It was originally part of a special mail-in offer where kids could send in proof of purchase tabs from other figurines to receive this one. Unfortunately, concerns about kids being hurt by the projectile rocket led to the toy being recalled, and a non-spring-loaded version was released instead.

It would be quite a find if you had this action figure: it’s the first G.I. Joe and incredibly rare. It was hand-crafted in 1964 before production had even started on the first G.I. Joe action figures.

The initial prototype was sold in 2003 to a private collector for $200,000.

If you’re a fan of Darth Vader, you may not be familiar with this 1977 figurine. It boasts a unique double-telescoping lightsaber that’s made it a must-have for collectors.

So why didn’t this last? You could blame it on concerns that this version was too flimsy. If you have an authentically carded one, it’s currently valued at around $6,500 or more. You can find a Kenner Star Wars Darth Vader 12A Back for sale on eBay for $4,500.

It’s the little things that can sometimes make a big difference. That’s the case when it comes to this blue-hatted Babe Ruth action figure.

While most of the figures had the traditional white Yankees cap, the truly rare versions had blue ones. In fact, only five of these blue-hatted versions were made. One reportedly sold in 2009 for $13,600.

This vintage action figure screams the 1960s. It was made by Nomura, a Japanese company, and was unavailable in the U.S., making it even more valuable.

Here’s something cool about this action figure: It’s battery-operated and the yellow switch on the utility belt can make the toy move forward. It sold a few years back for thousands of dollars at an auction.

The high value of this action figure can be attributed to an honest mistake. If you know wrestling, you probably know that the popular wrestler Kamala had a yellow moon on his belly, not a star, which was accidentally printed on the vast majority of these figures.

So many of these figures were sold with the error that the ones with the moon design (supposedly only about 24 in all) are worth a good deal of money. In fact, one is currently listed on eBay for $21,000. Even if yours isn’t of the best quality, you may still fetch a few hundred dollars for it.

Before you start dreaming of what you might do with the small fortune you can fetch for this rare action figure, make sure you take a closer look. The vinyl cape version was released in 1978, but the company later switched to cloth capes, which is what most people in possession of this figure probably have.

The change was reportedly made so the figure looked less cheap. If you want to earn a few hundred dollars for yours, give the cape a close examination before listing it.

Star Wars fans will probably recognize Yak Face from Return of the Jedi.

If you’re a hardcore fan, you might also understand why this figure is so highly coveted: it was released in 1985, a few years after the release of the final movie of the first trilogy, Return of the Jedi.

The majority of these figures were released in Europe, making them even harder for Americans to find. Some Yak Face action figures recently sold on eBay for between $600 and $800.

ToyBiz’s Marvel line included action figures with variant costumes, like the rare 2006 Crimson Dawn Psylocke in a black suit.

When Hasbro bought the license to the Marvel line, this was one of the figures they stopped making, making it a valuable find today whose reported value is approximately $2,500

El Capitan Rayo isn’t one of those traditional superheroes you’ll find in a comic book or on TV. In fact, no storyline exists for this random action figure at all, making it an extremely rare find for collectors of quirky memorabilia.

A South American toy company reportedly got a hold of the mold for Superman and sent out their own version of the hero in Columbia. This knock-off Superman has a red lightning-like symbol on his chest and brown hair and is supposedly worth between $2,000 and $6,000 today.

One of the rarest Marvel action figures, Marvelmania Ghost Rider was produced in 1976 and came with an extra head to swap characters on the motorcycle, because, why not?

As with other rare figures, ones in mint condition could be worth more than $1,000. Even if you just have the motorcycle, you may still be able to bring in more than $100.

These laser action figures from Europe may bring in a few thousand dollars for some lucky owners. Both the Power He-Man and Light Skeletor came with weapons that would actually light up.

Since they were pretty much only available in Europe, they’re hard to find and worth quite a bit today. While some mint condition ones on eBay have reportedly sold for around $2,500, you’re more likely to fetch a few hundred dollars for ones in fair to good condition.

Even some of the most intense fans of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may not remember this minor character who’s donning their finest prison wear for its action figure.

The Scratch the Cat toy is the most rare of the action figures from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line. The figure is quite popular with collectors, and some new versions on eBay are up for sale for thousands of dollars.

If you’re not familiar with Transformers, Computron was the combo of the Technobots when they formed one robot. The Computron figure could be found as part of the 1986 collection.

Since it was only available as a gift set and still hard to find today, some collectors are willing to pay thousands of dollars. Versions in mint condition are especially valuable.

Just because a show doesn’t do well, doesn’t mean there isn’t value in their leftover memorabilia. A company that was given the toy rights to the late 1980s cartoon Dinosaucers canceled the action figures when the show didn't perform as well as hoped.

The molds were then sold to a company based in Brazil where only some of the molds were used. None of the toys were ever released in the U.S. It’s quite difficult to find them today in the box, which means they go for several hundred dollars on eBay.

If you’re saving up for summer fun as winter comes to a close, one unexpected way to make extra money is to look through any collections of action figures and toys you or your family members may have saved.

Some of them may fetch a nice chunk of change, especially if you find ones in the original boxes or mint condition.