Animation - in particular, animation art is a popular collecting area, with often high prices justified by good
investment prospects. the emperor of the craft is Disney, whose
artefacts, artwork, and
Disney Animation |
When
Mickey Mouse first appeared in the black-and-white cartoon short
Steamboat
Willie
in 1928, who could
have foretold that this endearing little rodent would one " day
become a collectable with extremely good investment potential?
Mickey
Mouse's creator, Walt Disney, must have had some inkling of his
invention's commercial potential,
since
the great Disney merchandising bandwagon started to roll as early as
1930.
This was due to a wealthy New York businessman named George Borgfeldt. Luckily for Disney, who was struggling financially, Borgfeldt had two young children who liked the early Mickey and Minnie shorts. So he decided to license their image from Disney and started producing toys,books, and items of clothing. They sold spectacularly well.
This was due to a wealthy New York businessman named George Borgfeldt. Luckily for Disney, who was struggling financially, Borgfeldt had two young children who liked the early Mickey and Minnie shorts. So he decided to license their image from Disney and started producing toys,books, and items of clothing. They sold spectacularly well.
Disney Animation |
If
you want to start collecting Mickey memorabilia, it's worth
familiarising yourself with his changing looks over the years.
Generally speaking he has become more rounded and cuddly in
appearance.
Mickeys that have eyes shaped like pies with one slice removed usually indicate an early date. But this effectcan be faked, so also check for signs of ageing, such as old scratches or chips.
Genuine scratches acquire grime and dirt over time, while chips on old ceramics are less sharp around the edges than new ones.
Mickeys that have eyes shaped like pies with one slice removed usually indicate an early date. But this effectcan be faked, so also check for signs of ageing, such as old scratches or chips.
Genuine scratches acquire grime and dirt over time, while chips on old ceramics are less sharp around the edges than new ones.
Disney Animation |
Any
piece of merchandise from the first 10 years of Disney output - much
of it made in Germany and Japan - is collectable and can fetch high
sums, provided it is all in one piece. Most such items are in the
USA, where Disney dominates popular culture.
Look
for printed marks indicating Disney's copyright details, as these
help to date pieces. Mickey and Minnie wind-up toys, ceramic figures,
dolls, and utility items such as egg cups and toothbrush holders from
this period are very scarce today. Ceramic figures of characters from
early Disney feature films are also highly sought after - for
example, a good, vintage set of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs can
fetch more than .t 1,000.
Because
of the increasing scarcity of pre-war Disneyana. collectors have
turned to merchandise from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. During this
period Mickey Mouse became even less mouselike, and plastic overtook
tin as the devoured material.
Other Disney characters, making their screen debuts in films such as Pinocchio (1940),Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942), The Lady and the Tramp (1955), 101 Dalmatians (1961), and The Jungle Book (1967), also became major subjects for merchandising.
Disney Animation |
Other Disney characters, making their screen debuts in films such as Pinocchio (1940),Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942), The Lady and the Tramp (1955), 101 Dalmatians (1961), and The Jungle Book (1967), also became major subjects for merchandising.
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•)
Mass-market
merchandising arrived in the 1950s and 60s, so don't expect your
treasured 1980s plastic Pluto lunch box to be worth much more than
you paid for it originally. But if you're lucky enough to have a
scarcer 1950s metal box depicting
Mickey
Mouse, expect it to fetch up to .£200 if it's in
Inexpensive
and commonly found items such as badges, pens, rubbers, and greetings
cards, may rise in value in the long term, particularly if from the
1930s-50s. But the best investment potential for modern pieces lies
with larger or more unusual items and limited editions, provided they
are in mint condition with original packaging.
Is
it worth keeping merchandise and memorabilia from the
computer-generated cartoons of today, such as
Toy Story, Dinosaur, and
Monsters Inc.? It
certainly is - provided you keep the presentation box and the item is
well preserved, be it a cuddly toy or a comic book. Such classic
animations represent the nostalgia of tomorrow.
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