Ohio family selling PEZ dispenser collection
PERRY TWP. – Jim Starr loved PEZ candy dispensers from an early age.
He started collecting and never stopped, amassing thousands of them over the years.
“We ate so many PEZ candies as kids, it’s not funny,” his son Trent, 24, said with a hint of sarcasm.
Jim Starr died from liver failure at the age of 46 last year, and now two of his children, Trent and Ashley, 25, are selling the collection, which was once insured for $10,000. The asking price is $8,000, although Ashley said reasonable offers will be considered.
Individual dispensers in Starr’s collection are valued at a few dollars each to around $300, said Trent, adding that he and his sister prefer to sell the lot as a whole.
The dispenser collection, which is kept at the family home on Fairlawn Avenue SW, includes Star Wars, Star Trek, Disney, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pokémon, Sesame Street, Marvel Comics and DC Comics dispensers.
Ashley noted that their father was a big Disney fan and has many Disney dispensers.
“(Our dad) really liked the variety,” Trent said. “He would often collect stuff just to collect it.”
Other items collected by Jim Starr over the years were trading cards featuring sports figures, cartoons and pro wrestlers.
He had multiple PEZ dispensers custom made for his collection, Ashley said. Some are from “The Mask” movie, which starred actor Jim Carrey.
PEZ candy was introduced in 1927 by Austrian-born Eduard Haas III, who initially produced peppermints in small tin containers. The first dispenser boxes were created in 1949, according to the Cleveland-based Candy Hall of Fame website.
“Most collectors who’ve been at it for a while probably have accumulated a similar number without even really knowing it.” Shawn Peterson Direct to consumer business manager for PEZ Candy Inc
Amassing thousands of unique PEZ dispensers can be popular, company official says
Shawn Peterson, direct to consumer business manager for PEZ Candy Inc. in
Orange, Connecticut, said collecting dispensers is common for thousands of people.
The largest organized dispenser collection in the world is owned by Brian Trauman of New Jersey.
Each of Trauman’s 5,850 dispensers is individually cataloged. The collection was recognized in 2023 by Guinness as the largest in the world.
“Most collectors who’ve been at it for a while probably have accumulated a similar number without even really knowing it,” Peterson said via email.
Some of the more valuable dispensers have never been released to the public, said Peterson, such as the Disney softhead variety, which can each sell for upwards of a thousand dollars.
The Colonel Sanders, Kentucky Fried Chicken, prototype dispenser started as a promotion for the fast-food chain but was never released, said Peterson, who called that specified, or one-time, item quite rare.
Trent said his dad was assembling a new display to add to the collection prior to his death.
To view a listing of Starr’s PEZ collection, visit their ad on Facebook marketplace.
For questions about the collection, or to make an offer, contact Ashley Starr at 330-409-5981.
Reach Steven at steven.grazier@indeonline.com. On X: @sgrazierinde