Meet Caleb Zammit: Inside the Collection
Caleb's collection is a blast from the past! Take a look and see how many of these toys you spent time playing with or picking up.
Aug. 21, 2023
Caleb Zammit calls his Texas Toy Museum a "museum of memories," and it's no wonder why. He's packed the small, but mighty space with his lifelong toy and comic book collection. With his impressive diorama displays in the museum, he's hoping that everyone can spot a piece from their past — no matter their age.
Caleb's massive collection includes a rare X-Men comic book signed by Stan Lee, the largest Transformer toy ever made and several one-of-a-kind toy prototypes that show off the interesting production processes behind our favorite childhood toys.
His collection started when he was just five years old when his mom would take him to garage sales. Fast forward years later and Caleb has leveraged his childhood collection into a booming business filled with some of the rarest items.
With over 300,000 items in his museum, let's get started with just a few. Take a look!
1. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom prototype toys
You may recognize these familiar faces (all nine of them) from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. These are toy prototypes that were made in the 1980s made by the LJN toy company.
Caleb bought these toys in the early 2000s from someone who had worked for the company. He has different faces, body parts and a variety of accessories.
According to our expert, these prototypes are extremely rare because some of these toys have never even been produced. The entire set is worth around $10,000, but Caleb is missing a few body parts. If he finds those the value of these toys will go up. Talk about having a price on your head.
2. 1963 X-Men comic book signed by Stan Lee
Caleb bought this X-Men comic book in his early 20s for around $1,000. It's the first X-Men comic book from 1963, right around the time when Marvel was first getting into superheroes.
This comic book is classic and as any Marvel fan knows, it's a key comic book to own. Caleb had this comic book graded and encapsulated to showcase it's rarity. It's so rare even Stan Lee was surprised to see it when he signed it!
With a 2.0 grade and Stan Lee's signature, this comic book would be worth up to $5,000 today.
3. Fortress Maximus Transformer
This Transformer toy is so big it could have it's own zip code! Caleb wanted this toy while growing up, but didn't purchase it until he was older.
This is considered to be the largest Transformer toy ever made, and judging by the looks of it, that's true!
This Transformer breaks apart to transform into a whole city and includes a car to play with. This toy was donated to Caleb's museum in great condition and today it's worth around $2,000.
4. Masters of the Universe Mantenna prototype toy
This is a prototype toy from the Masters of the Universe line. Caleb has a whole display for these toys that mean so much to him. He likes prototype toys because of the process and the care that was put into making childhood toys.
This toy came out right before the show went on air, but exploded in popularity after the show proved to be a hit.
Our expert put a high price tag on this item because as he said: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," and our expert thought this item was beautiful.
Today this toy would be worth around $2,000.
5. Original TMNT figures signed by Kevin Eastman
Here's another toy that spans generations. Caleb loved turtles and the TNMT franchise while he was growing up. These are the first four figures in the Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles franchise and came out in 1988.
To make them even more special, co-creator Kevin Eastman signed all four boxes at a convention. The toys became widely popular because of the 1987 TV show.
Today these toys would be worth around $1,200. However, once they are graded the overall value will increase.
6. 1965 James Bond and Oddjob figures
These are James Bond and Oddjob figures from the early '60s. As you can tell from his very detailed face, this is Sean Connery's James Bond from the 1964 film Goldfinger.
James Bond is a timeless classic that many have put in their top favorite films. This Oddjob figure throws his hat just like he does in the movie.
Caleb about these figures in the mid-2000s. The box is a little faded, and Oddjob's throw is a little rusty but overall this item is in great condition.
These figures are worth around $700 today.
7. 1973 Lite-Brite
The Lite-Brite brings back great memories for many people, including Lisa! She could even be seen playing it on the show.
Many people have donated their old Lite-Brite toys to Caleb's museum. Eventually, he would like to have a whole wall of Lite-Brite toys for people visiting the museum to play with. Sign us up!
This Lite-Brite is from 1973 and was made by Hasbro. They came out in the early '60s and originally only sold for $3. They are timeless toys that have held the creations of children for many generations.
Although the Lite-Brite is packed with nostalgia, Hasbro still makes them today. With the original box, this item would be worth around $50. An item doesn't always have to have value to be important, and the Lite-Brite is a perfect example of that.
8. The total value of Caleb Zammit's collection:
9 Comments
Lunch boxes from back in the 60's are a challenge.
