ADVERTISEMENT Pawn Stars" Expert Magee Hunting for ToyTreasures Joel EVERYONE DREAMS OF HAVING THEIR very own time machine. Joel Magee found his at a Midwestern flea market in 1982 for just $20 I went over and looked at this old G.I. Joe lunch box," recalled the 57-year Sioux City, lowa native. "All of a sudden, a flood of memories came back. I could see myself eating a ham and cheese sandwich in the gym at Crescent Park Elementary. I could see my friends and I could see everything like I was in a time machine turning back the clock to 1967 Such was the power of a humble lunch box. These days Magee helps bring the power of vintage toys to others while showing off his love for collecting at shows nationwide. From board games to action figures, from model cars to Comic books, Magee has seen it all He's also bought a considerable amount of t. And like any good collector. he owns one of the first Barbie dolls ever made from way back in 1959 and he owns a copy of the original 1962 comic which brought Spider Man to life for the first time. Plus, he's even got a rare Jawa from Star Wars with a plastic cape "In the movie, the Jawa had a cloth cape and somebody at the factory put on a plastic cape," Magee said. "George Lucas went crazy, saying. This figure is not supposed to have a plastic cape' having already come to the public eye on the and he made them change it to cloth. But about 100 of them still made it out of the factory." Any of those toys would fetch thousands on the open market and Magee knows that such items can be found lying forgotten and gathering dust in attics and garages coast to coast. Just four If you visit Las Vegas, Rick just built anew years after his lunch box find, he was on the road going to toy shows looking for lost treasures and today he encourages folks to attend his buying events where old toys can be appraised and exchanged for cold cash. His company, The Toy Scout, is managed by himself, his wife, Kimmy and his daughter, Tiffany "Ive had people come back five or six times over the course of a couple of days" Magee said. "People bring me toys by the thousands and at every event there are toys I've never seen before Magee will be on the lookout September 25th to October 2nd, when he hosts the Greater Chicago Vintage Toy Buying Show at six locations Wednesday, September 25 and Thursday September 26 at Courtyard Marriott, 3700 N. Wilke Road, Arlington Heights Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28 at Springhill Suites Marriott, 410 toy scouT ford Joel gives Rick Harrison details of Disneyland teacup prop on Recent Pawn Stars Episode. Now recognized nationwide as "America's Toy Scout", he's set to create a TV pilot for his very own show under that name. It certainly won't be his first rodeo in the world of broadeast, "No matter what news I give them, whether their find is valuable or worthless" he said, "I think people appreciate getting a solid answer so they can finally resolve that nagging question of whether there is any money in that old cobweb- covered toy box in eternal storage back home." "Over time, everyone started calling me "The Toy Scout' because I was traveling all over looking for this stuff, and people began to ask me to find toys from their youth, too," he said. The truth is that Magee collects more than just toys He is a keeper of the past. "For the last 30 years I have been scouting America to reunite people with their childhood memories denote something with little potential to rise in value" he said. "It's just a gimmick. Magee said that promotional toys can be among the most valuable to save. "The best toys to buy are those that are made to go along with movie or TV promotions" he said. "If they become hits, then the toys related to them will also be a hit and the values will go up. Of course, if they don't, they won't be worth anything. There is no telling what those old toys you still have from decades gone by might be worth-at least not until an expert like Ma-gee can get a look at them. That's why he loves talking to the public and seeing all the items they bring to him. History Channel's hit show "Pawn Stars" as an expert on everything Disney related, including the theme parks. Jocl says it is an extreme honor to be the Disney expert on the show and it is a blast working with Rick, Corey and Chumlec "Pawn Plaza" next door to the pawn shop and he has anew gallery featuring some of his most treasured finds, and his new restaurant, "Rick's Rollin Smoke BBQ &Tavern," Chum-lee has a candy shop with just about every treat you could imagine, and they also have behind-the-scenes tours, so make sure to visit www.gspawn.com for details Here is a sample of what Joel will be looking for: Pez candy dispensers with no feet, Hotwheels toy cars with red lines on the wheels trains, tin wind up toys, slot cars, lunch boxes, Disney & Disneyland, old advertising signs, battery operated toys, old dolls from the 1950s and older, all kinds of movie related or super hero toys from the 1980s and GI Joe, super hero figures, Star Wars ships and figures, cowboy cap gun and items, BATMAN Transformers, comic books from the 1970s But Magce still loves the one-on-one personal interaction of finding old toys and hearing new stories from their owners. He encourages everyone to rifle through childhood items in search of hitting hidden dirt Joel is often asked how old do toys have to be to have an interest? And the magical answer is when people reach about the age of 40 they begin to reminisce about there childhood and think about getting their old toys back to revisit their childhood memories. That now puts us to the 1980s and older. The 90s and newer will have their day but not quite yet Joel does give some important advice. Be careful not to accidentally wash the pay dirt off before you show it to him. Well-intentioned efforts at cleaning could destroy a valuable discovery. "People spray a toy with Windex and the paint starts dripping off," he said. "Even if a toy is covered in grime, I can still appraise it. Another piece of advice? The worst way to start a collection is with items labeled "collectible." "That word or 'limited edition' items typically and older, Matchbox, Barbie dolls, even old silver coins 1964 and older In fact there are so many old toys that we can't name them all, so bring everything and we will be happy to sort through. Wait time is very short, averaging just 5 to 10 minutes Admission and parking: Free W Lake Street, Elmhurst Sunday, September 29 at Courtyard Marriott, 700 Courtyard Drive, St. Charles Monday, September 30 at Courtyard Marriott, 1155 Tuesday, October 1 at Holiday Inn, 1471 Rock Creek Blvd, Joliet, 1-55 at Exit 127 Hollywood /Houbolt Wednesday, October 2 at Springhill Suites Marriott, 90 N. Frontage Road, Burr Ridge/ Hinsdale area Hours each day 9:30am to 5pm except Tuesday, October 2nd 9:30am to 4pm. Any questions? Call America's Toy Scout, Joel RE Magee, 561-628-1990 ADVERTISEMENT Pawn Stars" Expert Magee Hunting for ToyTreasures Joel EVERYONE DREAMS OF HAVING THEIR very own time machine. Joel Magee found his at a Midwestern flea market in 1982 for just $20 I went over and looked at this old G.I. Joe lunch box," recalled the 57-year Sioux City, lowa native. "All of a sudden, a flood of memories came back. I could see myself eating a ham and cheese sandwich in the gym at Crescent Park Elementary. I could see my friends and I could see everything like I was in a time machine turning back the clock to 1967 Such was the power of a humble lunch box. These days Magee helps bring the power of vintage toys to others while showing off his love for collecting at shows nationwide. From board games to action figures, from model cars to Comic books, Magee has seen it all He's also bought a considerable amount of t. And like any good collector. he owns one of the first Barbie dolls ever made from way back in 1959 and he owns a copy of the original 1962 comic which brought Spider Man to life for the first time. Plus, he's even got a rare Jawa from Star Wars with a plastic cape "In the movie, the Jawa had a cloth cape and somebody at the factory put on a plastic cape," Magee said. "George Lucas went crazy, saying. This figure is not supposed to have a plastic cape' having already come to the public eye on the and he made them change it to cloth. But about 100 of them still made it out of the factory." Any of those toys would fetch thousands on the open market and Magee knows that such items can be found lying forgotten and gathering dust in attics and garages coast to coast. Just four If you visit Las Vegas, Rick just built anew years after his lunch box find, he was on the road going to toy shows looking for lost treasures and today he encourages folks to attend his buying events where old toys can be appraised and exchanged for cold cash. His company, The Toy Scout, is managed by himself, his wife, Kimmy and his daughter, Tiffany "Ive had people come back five or six times over the course of a couple of days" Magee said. "People bring me toys by the thousands and at every event there are toys I've never seen before Magee will be on the lookout September 25th to October 2nd, when he hosts the Greater Chicago Vintage Toy Buying Show at six locations Wednesday, September 25 and Thursday September 26 at Courtyard Marriott, 3700 N. Wilke Road, Arlington Heights Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28 at Springhill Suites Marriott, 410 toy scouT ford Joel gives Rick Harrison details of Disneyland teacup prop on Recent Pawn Stars Episode. Now recognized nationwide as "America's Toy Scout", he's set to create a TV pilot for his very own show under that name. It certainly won't be his first rodeo in the world of broadeast, "No matter what news I give them, whether their find is valuable or worthless" he said, "I think people appreciate getting a solid answer so they can finally resolve that nagging question of whether there is any money in that old cobweb- covered toy box in eternal storage back home." "Over time, everyone started calling me "The Toy Scout' because I was traveling all over looking for this stuff, and people began to ask me to find toys from their youth, too," he said. The truth is that Magee collects more than just toys He is a keeper of the past. "For the last 30 years I have been scouting America to reunite people with their childhood memories denote something with little potential to rise in value" he said. "It's just a gimmick. Magee said that promotional toys can be among the most valuable to save. "The best toys to buy are those that are made to go along with movie or TV promotions" he said. "If they become hits, then the toys related to them will also be a hit and the values will go up. Of course, if they don't, they won't be worth anything. There is no telling what those old toys you still have from decades gone by might be worth-at least not until an expert like Ma-gee can get a look at them. That's why he loves talking to the public and seeing all the items they bring to him. History Channel's hit show "Pawn Stars" as an expert on everything Disney related, including the theme parks. Jocl says it is an extreme honor to be the Disney expert on the show and it is a blast working with Rick, Corey and Chumlec "Pawn Plaza" next door to the pawn shop and he has anew gallery featuring some of his most treasured finds, and his new restaurant, "Rick's Rollin Smoke BBQ &Tavern," Chum-lee has a candy shop with just about every treat you could imagine, and they also have behind-the-scenes tours, so make sure to visit www.gspawn.com for details Here is a sample of what Joel will be looking for: Pez candy dispensers with no feet, Hotwheels toy cars with red lines on the wheels trains, tin wind up toys, slot cars, lunch boxes, Disney & Disneyland, old advertising signs, battery operated toys, old dolls from the 1950s and older, all kinds of movie related or super hero toys from the 1980s and GI Joe, super hero figures, Star Wars ships and figures, cowboy cap gun and items, BATMAN Transformers, comic books from the 1970s But Magce still loves the one-on-one personal interaction of finding old toys and hearing new stories from their owners. He encourages everyone to rifle through childhood items in search of hitting hidden dirt Joel is often asked how old do toys have to be to have an interest? And the magical answer is when people reach about the age of 40 they begin to reminisce about there childhood and think about getting their old toys back to revisit their childhood memories. That now puts us to the 1980s and older. The 90s and newer will have their day but not quite yet Joel does give some important advice. Be careful not to accidentally wash the pay dirt off before you show it to him. Well-intentioned efforts at cleaning could destroy a valuable discovery. "People spray a toy with Windex and the paint starts dripping off," he said. "Even if a toy is covered in grime, I can still appraise it. Another piece of advice? The worst way to start a collection is with items labeled "collectible." "That word or 'limited edition' items typically and older, Matchbox, Barbie dolls, even old silver coins 1964 and older In fact there are so many old toys that we can't name them all, so bring everything and we will be happy to sort through. Wait time is very short, averaging just 5 to 10 minutes Admission and parking: Free W Lake Street, Elmhurst Sunday, September 29 at Courtyard Marriott, 700 Courtyard Drive, St. Charles Monday, September 30 at Courtyard Marriott, 1155 Tuesday, October 1 at Holiday Inn, 1471 Rock Creek Blvd, Joliet, 1-55 at Exit 127 Hollywood /Houbolt Wednesday, October 2 at Springhill Suites Marriott, 90 N. Frontage Road, Burr Ridge/ Hinsdale area Hours each day 9:30am to 5pm except Tuesday, October 2nd 9:30am to 4pm. Any questions? Call America's Toy Scout, Joel RE Magee, 561-628-1990