I was a huge fan of the show & toys as a kid, but my parents always thought they were too expensive to buy many of them. I'd like to know what the toys originally sold for in stores, I recall them being pricier than most other action figures of the day, but can't recall specifics.

 

Various prices,if you go into the MISB collectors thread most of those G1 boxes still have price tags on em,maybe that will help you some. I warn you though there are some niiiiiiice things in there,might end up wanting to chase down some figures 

 

I have a G1 Soundwave and the box says 17.84.

 

I remember that the Devastator boxed set was $30.

 

The Transformers 1984 at the Vintage Space Toaster Palace

The Transformers 1985 at the Vintage Space Toaster Palace

 

What I'd do to have those prices again...

 

Wouldn't matter because you'd have much less money. An average of $8 for a deluxe size TF back then, but minimum wage in 1984 was about a third of what it is now. So you'd actually be able to buy less toy for your money. Those prices weren't that great.

 

My G1 Thrust and Starscream were $16.99 when they were bought new. Hot Rod was $14.99. Those are some of the prices I had to pay as there was no TRU in my area. Not that it mattered. My first Transformer was Sunstreaker, and my mom bought him for just over $5. The store raised their prices on TF's shortly afterward. Original G1 toys were not cheap back then. But unlike today's TF's, they had quite a bit of die-cast in them and they weren't designed on any elaborate computer program. Many of them were under $20 and the mini-bots (mini-cars) were under $7 with tax. I remember getting $10 a week for allowance and I used to buy those little mini-bots like Bumblebee, Sea-Spray, Tailgate, Windcharger, Pipes, etc.

 

Hurray for inflation

 

Though Fort Max came out in 1987 to date he was the most expensive Transformer from that era.I saw a JC Penny's or Sears catalog from that year and he was listed at 99.99.Scorpanok was I think 39.99.

 

I was wondering something similar a short while back - how historical prices compare to today's prices. Wasn't much discussion but I made some numbers in the OP...

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/988742-g1-toy-prices-today.html

 

They may as well of been priced in the millions the way my parents would react to me every time I'd ask for a new one lol.

 

Here are a few pages from the 1985 Sears Toy Christmas catalog to give you an idea of what TF prices were back in the day: JIMSMASH ! ! !: SEARS CHRISTMAS CATALOG 1985. There are other toy lines in there too, including Gi Joe, Voltron, He Man, and so on.

By the way, I still get that rush of nostalgia when I peruse through these Christmas catalogs like I did when I was 10 years old. At 39 today, I could probably still stare out those wonderful toy pictures for hours on end.  

 

Fixed to reflect my own experience  

 

The price tag on my original G1 Fortmax says 87.99 and on my Trypticon it says 49.99 no wonder I never got them as a kid that was a lot of money back then.

 

G1s were expensive back in the 80s. It was difficult for me to convince my parents to get them for me. I got mostly go-bots. My parents figured they were robots that transform so I would I wouldn't mind just getting those. I mean i did get transformers, but not like a few of my neighbors.

 

I've got the Constructicons boxed set and it has a price tag of $28.84. Funny thing is I just bought it last year and only paid $30 for it.

 

Ones I recall...cus I had to save allowance money ...and mow lawns



Hound and wheel jack - paid 11.99 for each

Devastator 32.99

Jazz 12.99

Thrust 15.99

Bee - Cliff - 3.99

 

Assuming he's making minimum wage.

A lot easier way to figure out the costs is just by adjusting the prices to inflation. They'd be about double now.

 

I remember my dad paying $39.99 for my Optimus Prime. The leader toys(him and Megs) were impossible to find in stores, pre-Christmas '84. I don't know if they were under-ordered because of their price point of if they were just that popular. But I got a tip from one of classmates that a mom and pop toy store in town had them. I dragged my dad down there and he reluctantly plucked down the cash for it. We had been looking every weekend for a few weeks so maybe he was tired of gassing up the car and driving around town to all the usual retail spots. Of course, after Christmas, K-Mart had end caps full of Prime and Megatron for $25. If I had waited, I could've gotten them both!