Whanganui Toy Fair offers something for casuals and collectors alike

Steve Brown says ardent collectors will be lining up before the doors even open. Photo / Supplied

Collectors will descend on the River City for the first-ever Whanganui Toy Fair next month.

Organiser Steve Brown said some would be lining up before the doors even opened, but there would be something on show for the whole family.

"That hardcore bunch will probably come in for the first hour or so. Then you'll get the mums and dads and kids coming in later for a look around," Brown said.

"There is some real collectable stuff that is worth hundreds or thousands of dollars, but there are also toys that are 20 or 50 cents that the kids can go home and play with."

Brown has run a similar event in Wellington for the past 11 years and hopes to make the Whanganui stop an annual occasion.

There hadn't been a local toy fair since the early 1990s, Brown said.

"This year around 70 tables have been taken so far, out of 109.

"People from out of town often bring their families with them, so they will go out and have a look around while they're here.

"It's a good chance to showcase Whanganui as well."

Those in the know were usually after first edition toys, Brown said.

"That could be something like Star Wars, where the first sets came out in 1977.

"Pre-production stuff is another big one. When they are making the toy they might change the colour or the shape of it, or add something to it.

"The toy that is different to what is was issued as is usually worth quite a bit."

Brown himself has a collection of around 600-700 Matchbox cars.

"That's a reasonable amount, but it's small compared to the big-scale collections. Some of them have hundreds of thousands.

"For me, I collect the things for nostalgic sort of reasons. It's from a time when you were a kid and didn't have so many responsibilities. You didn't have to go to work and pay tax."

Toys could also be a great investment, he said.

"Like anything, you need to know what you're buying and what you're doing, and you need rare stuff in pristine boxes, basically.

"One interesting thing I find is parents will take kids along and they'll see all these old toys they had when they were young.

"They might even buy them and that's where it starts. Away they go."

It is $20 to rent a table for the event.

Any extra funds raised would go to Wanganui Riding for the Disabled and Money Poppins, Brown said.

The Wanganui Vintage Car Club will have a collection of vehicles outside the event, which runs from 11am to 2pm on May 15 at Springvale Stadium.

Entry is a gold coin donation.

For more information, email whanganuitoyfair@gmail.com