To be of interest to a collector though, the item needs to be in mint condition, in the original packaging, including any unused meal boxes or any other promotional material that you can lay your hands on. And collect the whole set.

Exceptional prices are for rare items of course, but it is surprising how quickly these limited term promotional items become collectable. Already being collected are character bubble bath figures, Disney memorabilia, anything to do with the Coca-Cola Company and original linked to tv show toys such as Thunderbirds and Star Wars - do not confuse with nineties versions - although these too, in their time will become collectable.

Browse the dealers stalls at a few toy fairs and you'll soon learn to spot the collecting trends. Talk to the stall holders, they are usually a friendly bunch with a love of their wares and happy to give advice to new collectors.

Most of all don't forget the golden rule of collecting - to collect something because you love it anyway - then it's value is just a lovely bonus! Happy hunting!