“A nice surprise,” says Wouter, 36, from Eindhoven, referring to the old plastic toy figures he still has in the cupboard. He loved them so much that he decided to get rid of them. What happened? The same figures are worth hundreds of euros today. So, years later, Wouter’s collection of old toys has suddenly earned him some very good pocket money.
the Statues From the video game Diddy Kong Racing, an old racing game for the Nintendo 64 console released in 1999. The game was popular at the time, but is no longer very relevant today. Anyone who wants these figurines is a true fan and enthusiast. Just like Wouter himself.
Wouter still gets really excited when he talks about games. He’s been a huge video game fan since he was a kid. Definitely the games from English developer Rare. Rare is also the developer of Diddy Kong Racing, which Wouter is now selling three figurines of. That must hurt a lot, right?
“No, not at all. In fact, I throw away everything with love. “I don’t even like those Diddy Kong Racing figurines,” Wouter laughs. “I really mean that. There’s nothing painful about it for me. There’s a lot of other video game stuff these days that I actually like a lot. I’d rather have that in my house.”
One fan explains that things used to be very different. “These figurines were once special to me. Which makes sense, because video games were so rare. Just buying a character from your favorite game was a real challenge. The fact that I got these figurines from the store as a kid is still my favorite collecting moment.”
Wouter is asking €400 for the Diddy Kong Racing figurines. He had no idea in advance that they were worth so much. Wouter simply discovered them via Google. According to him, they are a rare collector’s item and in good condition. “Real fans are happy to pay for them,” says Wouter.
This is good news for the Eindhoven native, as he has many similar gaming items for sale.
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The most unique and eye-catching items are for sale on the Internet. Each with its own story. In the Marktplaatsparels section we tell you the story behind this ad.
CDs, figurines, toys, sweaters: they can easily be worth hundreds of euros. “Sometimes I start by looking up the value of the item, and then I’m surprised by what I find. “I recently sold a figurine for almost a thousand euros,” says Wouter, who can hardly contain his surprise. “Or a music CD for around a hundred euros. Toys can also cost a lot of money.”
Of course, all this gaming stuff didn’t come out of the blue for Wouter. “When I was a kid, I collected everything from my favorite games. It got out of hand pretty quickly, because I was completely obsessed with video games. I still am, but then I really bought everything that was loose and stuck together. Dolls, pillows, toy chairs: my whole bedroom was filled with video game stuff.
When he went to college and started living on his own, he left the collection with his parents. “Now it’s here again, but I don’t have the space anymore. I can’t put it off anymore. I’ve also become more selective. I still collect toys and figurines, but only if I really want them. I no longer have that urge to buy everything,” he concludes.
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