THIS year’s top Christmas toys have been revealed – but before taking old ones to the tip, check out eBay to see if they are worth anything.

Even stuff that’s been battered by years of use can fetch a tidy sum.

It's worth looking online to see how much old toys may be worth

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It’s worth looking online to see how much old toys may be worthCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Here’s my round-up of top Christmas toys from past years – and how much they are worth now.

1996 BUZZ LIGHTYEAR

THEN £25 NOW: £51.50

Buzz Lightyear is still a firm favourite with kids

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Buzz Lightyear is still a firm favourite with kidsCredit: Alamy

Maker Disney expected Woody to be kids’ fave Toy Story figure, but Buzz was lightyears ahead.

1966 ACTION MAN

THEN: £1.60 NOW: £168

Action Man was the first doll for boys and was an instant success

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Action Man was the first doll for boys and was an instant success

THE first doll for boys was an instant success.

Sold as pilots, soldiers or sailors, figures came with a uniform, training manual, star card and metal dog tag.

1974 LEGO FAMILY

THEN: £1.25 NOW: £22

Modern Lego figures just don't move like the old ones could

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Modern Lego figures just don’t move like the old ones could

KIDS marvelled at their movable arms, adjustable hairstyles and how they could hold hands – which modern Lego figures can’t.

1981 RUBIK’S CUBE

THEN: £3.95 NOW: £39

Ernoő Rubik invented the cube in 1974

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Ernoő Rubik invented the cube in 1974

EXPERTS can solve the cube in six seconds, but Ernoő Rubik – the Hungarian architect who invented the cube in 1974 – admitted it took him a month to do it.

1978-85 MILLENNIUM FALCON

THEN: £19.95 NOW: £150-£2,000

The original Millennium Falcon is considered more detailed than later ones

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The original Millennium Falcon is considered more detailed than later ones

MORE than 300million Star Wars figures were sold during the first trilogy, which began in 1977.

The most sought-after is the original Falcon, considered more detailed than later ones.

1983-84 CABBAGE PATCH

THEN: £21.95 NOW: £80

Shoppers rioted in the US trying to get Cabbage Patch dolls for Christmas

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Shoppers rioted in the US trying to get Cabbage Patch dolls for Christmas

INSTEAD of buying one, you “adopted” it and each came with a birth certificate and its own unique name.

Shoppers rioted in the US trying to get one for Christmas 1983.

1985 OPTIMUS PRIME

THEN: £13.95 NOW: £748.68

A cartoon series of Transformers was made for the launch of the toy line in the US

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A cartoon series of Transformers was made for the launch of the toy line in the US

TRANSFORMERS were spotted by Hasbro execs at the 1983 Tokyo Toy Show.

A 1984 cartoon series was then made to support the launch of the toy line in the US.

1988 NES CONSOLE

THEN: £200 NOW: £240

The NES was king of games consoles back in the 1980s and set the benchmark for gaming

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The NES was king of games consoles back in the 1980s and set the benchmark for gaming

THE Nintendo Entertainment System was the king of consoles in the 1980s and made Super Mario a star.

One seller from Leeds recently sold his NES that had been sitting in the loft for 30 years for £240.

1992 TRACY ISLAND

THEN: £34.99 NOW: £95.39

Blue Peter taught kids how to build their own island from Thunderbirds

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Blue Peter taught kids how to build their own island from Thunderbirds

ANTHEA Turner saved the day for parents who could not get a Thunderbirds’ Tracy Island playset.

The Blue Peter host showed families how to make a replica at home.

1997 TELETUBBIES

THEN: £13 NOW: £15

One million Tellytubbies were sold

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One million Tellytubbies were sold

FAMILIES fought to get a top-selling tubby doll.

Over a million were sold as toymaker Golden Bear said sales could have hit three million if there were enough.

Tips for selling

  1. Research your toy’s value. You can do this by looking at the sold listings on eBay to see what similar pieces have been bought for.
  2. Complete a set by buying missing parts and accessories from eBay, which will make it more valuable.
  3. Clean them carefully with a toothbrush or paintbrush.
  4. Take good photos and be really detailed in the online description.
  5. Check keywords really carefully to make sure the item appears in people’s searches.
  6. If it’s a really rare toy look at auctioning it to a specialist audience to get the best price.
  7. Tweet about your sale on Twitter to ramp up interest.
  8. Make sure you choose a safe delivery method that properly protects it.

Nokia Q would be happy with

Nokia's 8.3 5G is used in the new Bond flick No Time To Die

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Nokia’s 8.3 5G is used in the new Bond flick No Time To Die

NOKIA 8.3 5G review

PROS: Sleek, good screen, headphone socket, long battery.

CONS: Bulky, mono-speaker, auto-brightness hit-and-miss.

BOND fans may have to wait until next year to see the new Bond movie but can get their hands on one of its stars right now – a sleek smartphone with fabulous camera.

You’ll see the Nokia 8.3 5G is used by new 00 agent Nomi, played by Lashana Lynch, when No Time To Die is finally released in April.

While 007 himself is the best around, the latest Nokia is not – but that is not a bad thing because its makers have made compromises to keep the price down.

At £499 or £39 a month with Vodafone, it aims to be nearly as good as the very top devices from Apple and Samsung but at a better price.

The 6.8in screen is big and bright, so is as great for Netflix as for Instagram – or checking the web for when the Bond movie is finally in cinemas.

Streaming, uploading pics and browsing are all nice and fast.

There is a quick Qualcomm “brain” but the Nokia also has 5G.

That is the superfast mobile connection that can be ten times as quick as 4G.

Nokia’s phones are famed for amazing cameras and this one is no different – with four lenses, for different types of snap, housed in a ring on the rear.

The main, everyday lens is 64 megapixels – meaning each snap is made up of 64million little dots.

There is also one for portrait photos where the background is artistically blurred.

This makes you look like a good photographer even if, like me, you are not.

I used it to take cute snaps of my dog Lawrence.

Plus, there is a camera for ultra-wide snaps – nice for scenic views on holidays, if we can still go away.

Finally, the macro lens lets you get close-ups – which those who like to Instagram their food will love.

The video camera takes 4K footage in 21:9 ratio.

That is the same as movie cameras and Nokia reckons this gives a more authentic widescreen movie effect.

Plus, there are cool editing features built into the phone.

I have to say, the photos are quite not as good as they are on iPhones or top-end Samsungs.

Those firms use even better lenses and crucially have software that helps improve lighting if there is too much sun or too little light.

For example, the Portrait photo option on the Nokia is good but takes longer to focus and is not as dramatic as on an iPhone.

That said, the Nokia is not too far off – and hundreds of pounds cheaper.

Nokia was once the biggest phone-maker in the world, selling two in every five – before Apple’s iPhone, and handsets using Google’s Android system, such as Samsung’s, took over.

Nokia was left behind after being slow to adopt touchscreen displays and doing a deal with Microsoft to use its now doomed Windows Phone operating system.

These days it uses Android and that is good news, as it means the Bond blower has access to every app around.

Overall, Q will be happy at the £499 price – even if it doesn’t have a secret gun built in.

Dream Toys reveal top 12 Christmas presents including a pooping flamingo and Harry Potter’s Hedwig made of Lego

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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk

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