Buying Board Game and Toy Catalogs will build your collection fast!

So, you want to build a great board game collection? Looking for some other interesting toys to add to your collection? Then, you should be buying up board game and toy catalogs. They are on eBay for as little as a few dollars and expensive as $100 bucks.

When I first started collecting games and selling them, I decided to buy a Milton Bradley Catalog from 1980. I figured it would help me determine what actually came with a toy I picked up at a Thrift Store called, "Big Trak". I wanted to know what came with this toy. Instead, As I read the catalog I discovered another world of games that I had never seen or heard of. It started with Star Bird - The electronic ship with lights and sounds. What makes this toy cool is that when you tilt it in your hand the engine sound either revs up or slows down. I would not have known this because very few people on eBay ever include what the toy actually does or how the game works. Catalogs help you get a better idea of the game and whether or not it is collectible.

There are different kinds of catalogs for toys and games, and they may not always be easy to find. Toys R Us, Sears, Woolworths (vintage!), and others can be hard to locate because they were special inserts in the Sunday Papers. So, it's important to know that catalogs may not always come in a single book or pamphlet, and could even show up in single advertisements. The picture to the right was an advertisement in a magazine that shows the entire catalog of games for the 2-XL Robot from Mego. Because of this ad, I now have every cartridge and the 3 interactive games that you can play with 2-XL. I only had tri-lex and never knew until I saw this ad that there were 2 other interactive games for 2-Xl.

I find that the catalogs not only help to grow my collection, but also increase my knowlege of an era or decade. I really love the 70's game catalogs. Kenner produced catalogs that came with your cereal box in the 70's. However, Kenner catalogs are expensive if they include Star Wars toys. I only have one from the 80's and it cost over 25 bucks on eBay. I have two from the cereal box and they include the Smash Up Derby sets and other classic 70's Kenner toys. Of course, I have a Smash Up Derby set! I also have a pamphlet catalog that I purchased on eBay which shows several cool cars and the Spirit of '76 derby set.

Over the years, my catalog collection has grown to include about 25 different catalogs specifically for board games and toys. I have a large collection of pamphlet catalogs, and even a collection of video game catalogs. I frequently enjoy pulling them out and looking at the games. I always find a game or two that I have overlooked. For instance, I have a 1975 Milton Bradley catalog that includes some unusual and popular games: Jet World, the highly sought after game - Which Witch?, Fat Albert, an expensive one - Land of the Lost, King Oil, Planet of the Apes, The Fastest Gun, and Korg.

Now, are you excited to go get some catalogs? Happy Hunting!