Why you should NEVER throw out a Hot Wheels car… 48-year-old toy Volkswagen Microbus is worth £120,000
If this doesn't teach kids to look after their toys, nothing ever will
START searching through your childhood relics, those boxes may be hiding a small fortune.
An American toy fan has discovered just that after having his 1969 Hot Wheels car valued on Antiques Roadshow.
The prototype of the early Volkswagen Microbus Beach Bomb car was given an auction value of between US$100,000 and US$150,000 (£80,000 to £120,000) by the show's experts, who noted its excellent condition and rarity.
While the regular production model of the small VW replica is far more common among toy collectors, the original prototypes attract a hefty sum.
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Prototypes were built top-heavy and would often fly off the Hot Wheels tracks at corners, meaning they were discontinued shortly after they were first produced.
Adding to the price was the car's history.
It had been given to its owner almost 50 years earlier by his father, who had been a foreman at the Mattel corporation - the manufacturer of Hot Wheels.
The man's father had told him to put the toy car away as it could be valuable come day. How right he was!