Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Vintage toy buyer sorts trash from treasure
Joel Magee knows vintage toys. He can recite their history and manufacturer in an instant. And because he knows how much they’re worth, his negotiation skills are just as honed.
Most of the toys and comic books and cards carried by amateur collectors into the hotel room in Dania Beach on Saturday morning were dismissed by Magee as either not old enough or of no significant value.
At least 300 people have visited Magee during his South Florida Vintage Toy Buying Show since it started on Thursday in Boca Raton. It moved to Broward County on Saturday. It will continue today at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott in Dania Beach.
There were a few valuable items that caught the eye Saturday of the man known as “America’s Toy Scout.”
The best deal of the day for Magee was for six comic books from the 1940s. They were first editions that are part of the “Bethlehem Find,” so named because a book collector in Bethlehem, Pa., discovered a trap door in a dead person’s house. When the collector entered the “secret” room, he found a treasure trove of comic books. The collector brokered a sale on behalf of the relatives of the homeowner, selling the collection for $30,000 in 1986.
The trove is now valued at $7 million to $10 million. The book collector kept a few of the comics to himself and moved to Florida. And that’s how the six comics made their way to the first-floor room in the Fairfield Inn by Marriott at 2081 Griffin Road in Dania Beach.
“To find these all in first issues is just absolutely incredible,” said Magee, who paid $2,800 for them. Their value is likely at least double that once they get graded, he said.
Magee, 56, of West Palm Beach, has made a living going from city to city in search of old toys and comic books sought after by collectors.
“Can you give us 375,” asked one woman who traveled to the event from West Palm Beach with her collection of replica guns and action figures.
“The best I can do is 250 … 275 that’s the most I can do … OK 280, let’s put this to bed,” Magee said, sealing the deal.
Magee’s toughest negotiation Saturday was for a 31-car Hot Wheels collection from the ’60s and ’70s. After much wrangling over the price, the collector agreed to accept $1,100.
Magee said his profit margin, after some work and restoration, may be $300.