10 Nerdy Collectibles Worth Life-Changing Amounts
In the world of nerdy collectibles, almost anything goes, from 90s card games to century-old stamps. The one thing all collectibles have in common however is demand. And, unsurprisingly in this digital age, physical items are more in demand than ever.
And these top ten collectibles worth life-changing amounts prove that being a nerdy collector can pay off big time. So whether your family and friends call you a nerd for collecting baseball cards, retro games, action figures, or stamps, go with it, because today’s fads and misprints could be the items you sell tomorrow for a life-changing amount.
10. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES), $156,000
The runaway success that was Super Mario Bros. 3 earned Nintendo a staggering $500 million just in the North American market. While a sealed copy could be worth a small fortune, if you own an ultra-rare version with “Bros.” on the left side of the game, you could be in for a life-changing amount.
9. Rocket Firing Boba Fett, $185,850
With Boba Fett‘s return to Star Wars in The Mandalorian, this rocket-firing figure will no doubt increase in value over the coming years.
What makes this action figure so valuable is partially from being a popular character, but also because the toy never made it to market. The only versions of this toy that exist are prototypes spanning the different production phases.
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8. G.I. Joe Prototype (1963), $200,000
The 1963 G.I. Joe Prototype was owned by a former Hasbro executive and had a reserve of $250,000 during a Heritage Auction. After it failed to meet the reserve, Comic Book distributor Steven Geppi splashed the $200,000, making it the most expensive action figure sold in history.
CHECK OUT: 15 Most Valuable Star Wars Action Figures
7. Illustrator Pikachu Japanese, $480,000
Only given to the winners of a Corocoro promotional drawing competition in 1998, there are only 41 copies of the Illustrator Pikachu card in the world. As a result, this card is the rarest verified Pokémon card in the world, despite only displaying a congratulatory message and having no actual value in the collectible card game.
6. Charizard Topsun Blue Back (1997), $493,230
Out of many Charizard cards, the Blue Back Topsun Charizard is a highly sought-after collectible within the Pokémon community. The rare card is part of the Topsun series with a distinctive blue back, setting it apart from other Pokémon cards and even similar Topsun copies. The best part about the card is its print date in 1997, which was mistakenly dated by PSA as 1995.
It sold at auction in 2021 through Goldin for $493,230.
CHECK OUT: 20 Most Expensive Pokemon Cards: From $25k To $5-Million
5. Black Lotus Magic: The Gathering Card, $540,000
The ultra-rare Black Lotus for the ever-popular Magic: The Gathering card-collecting game sold on eBay for $166,100 in 2019, but broke records in 2023 when the card sold for $540,000 at a PWCC Marketplace auction. It is the most expensive Magic: The Gathering card ever sold.
This card is part of the 1993 Alpha Set, with more rounded corners and black borders. The Black Lotus is a powerful card from the game, giving more mana, and allowing for more summons and spells in the original card game.
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4. Inverted Jenny Stamp, $1.59 million
Just like the Benjamin Franklin stamp, this Inverted Jenny is another error stamp that is coveted amongst collectors. This once 24-cent face value stamp was most recently sold for $1.59 million. Only 100 exist, so expect more Inverted Jenny stamps to make the news as the value continues to rise.
3. Barber Dime (1894), $2 million
The rare 1894-S Barber dime normally sells at auction for around $1 million, but in 2016, in Florida, one sold for a whopping $1.99 million. Plus, others have been sold for $2 million in private sales.
Only 24 of these coins were ever minted, and of those, only nine are known to exist today. Two of which are heavily worn. The last one to be discovered was in 1957, inside a junk coin box at a Gimbel’s store.
2. Action Comics #1 (1938), $6 million
The most expensive comic on this list is issue #1 of Action Comics. In 2014 a pristine copy was sold on eBay for $3.21 million but has recently broken records in 2024 with a sale through Heritage Auctions for a staggering $6 million.
This comic had the first-ever appearance of Superman and cost 10 cents at the time of release. Roughly, only 100 copies exist today, making it a nerdy collectible destined to go up in value.
CHECK OUT: What is the Most Expensive Comic Book Ever?
1. Honus Wagner Baseball Card (1909), $7.25 million
At a Goldin Auction in 2016, a 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner baseball card sold for $3.12 million. The same card sold for a whopping $7.25 million in 2022, breaking its record in a private sale through Goldin Auctions. Only 200 copies of the card were ever made, which adds to the value and rarity of the card.
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