Community: Library

When a person decides to start a toy collection, how can the value of a toy be evaluated? Many times, that depends on the toy. Condition is a very important factor. Many toy collectors use a standard rating scale to "rate" the toy they have. Below is the rating scale as printed in Toys and Prices 1997 4th Edition by Krause Publishing.

MIB, MIP, MOMC (Mint in Box, Mint in Package, Mint on Mint Card) - Just like new, in the original package, preferably still sealed. The box may have been opened, but any packages inside remain unopened. If the toy is on a blister card, the package is intact and unopened. New toys in boxes, where boxes remain factory sealed, can often command higher prices.

Unfortunately, for diecast vehicle collectors, a different rating system is often used. Here is the list as printed in Tomart's Price Guide to Hot Wheels 2nd Edition.

This type of system is called a point rating system. You can evaluate a car by adding up the points as listed for any defects found on the vehicle.

small, barely-noticeable scratch	1 point
slight wear on decal	1 point
slightly tarnished base	1 point
minor wear on wheel	1 point for each wheel
up to three barely-noticeable scratches	2 points
noticeable wear on decals	2 points
slightly crooked tampo (decal)	2 points
clearly crooked tampo	3 points
substantial wear on decals	3 points
tarnished base	3 points
wheels show considerable wear	3 points for each wheel
small noticeable scratches	5 points
up to two small dark spots	5 points
very noticeable dark spots	10 points
very obvious scratches	14 points
reproduction parts	20 points
most of paint missing	40 points
parts missing	50 points
After adding all the points together, locate the vehicle's condition on the following table. For collectors who prefer a 1 to10 numeric scale, the corresponding numbers are in parentheses. 0 points - mint (m) (10) 1 near mint to mint (nm-m) (9) 2-near mint (nm) (8) 6-excellent to near mint (exc-nm) (7) 9-excellent (exc) (6) 20-fine (fn) (5) 25-very good to fine (vg-fn) (4) 30-very good (vg) (3) 35-good to very good (g-vg) (2) 40-good (g) (1)