The Ever-Popular Yo-Yo

It could be the most popular toy ever made. It's the yo-yo, and along with the Frisbee, Hula-Hoop, and roller skates, it's a toy many baby boomers fondly recall.

The Saturday Early Show's Collectibles Expert Tony Hyman, author of Trash or Treasure: Guide to Buyers, takes a look at yo-yos.

The yo-yo was introduced in the United States in the mid-1860s by James Haven and Charles Hettrick. The term yo-yo was first used in the United States in 1928 by Pedro Flores, an immigrant from the Philippines. "Yo-yo" means "come along" in the Filipino language Tagalog.

Flores built the first yo-yo factory in Santa Barbara, Calif., and began running yo-yo contests that year. Flores sold the yo-yo trademark to Duncan in 1930, and Duncan's yo-yo contests and promotions soon made the Duncan yo-yo famous across the United States.

Flores yo-yos are rare and can bring up to $400 today. Duncan led the market through the Depression but in the late '40s there were Cheerio yo-yo competitions. After eight years, Duncan bought those, too. Cheerio yo-yos are popular with collectors,
bringing $15 to $250.

All these competitions meant lots of prizes such as patches, trophies and sweaters - all very collectible.

Duncan offered a huge variety of colors and designs that today bring $5 to $500, with the general rule, the gaudier the better. Rhinestone Duncans that sold for a buck can bring up to $150 today.

Most collectible yo-yos are highly prized, but a 1930s lithographed tin yo-yo that whistled can fetch $300.

To be collectible, any yo-yo must be labeled or stamped with the maker's name. No maker, no value. Nicks, scuffs and scratches all lower the value. And if it's got a ZIP or bar code, don't collect it; play with it.

For more information on yo-yos, Hyman recommends Jason Colwell, one of the country's largest collectors of yo-yos. His collection appears in part in Collecting Yo-yos by James Dundas. Contact Colwell at jacolwel@students.uiuc.edu or James Dundas at kingdundas@aol.com.

If you think you have a collectible worth a lot of cash, send an email to sat@cbsnews.com with "What's It Worth?" in the subject line. Or write to "What's It Worth?" The Saturday Early Show, 514 West 57th St., 6th floor, New York, N.Y. 10019.