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Worth More Than Peanuts

Collectibles expert Tony Hyman gave The Saturday Early Show some advice on Snoopy and the rest of the gang.


Charles Schulz's comic strip Peanuts is so popular worldwide that more than a quarter million different products have been licensed based on his characters.

You'll find them on books, toys, games, dolls, calendars, candles, cards, key chains, cookie jars, cookie cutters, lamps, clocks, plates, mugs, glasses, banners, bells, banks, bookends, shoelaces, mirrors, pins, paperweights, watches, wind chimes and waste paper baskets. And that list barely scratches the surface of what's available.

The most valuable item is original art. Schulz's four-panel dailies routinely sell for $2,500 to $4,000, and can easily be worth double that if they feature baseball or Snoopy's search for the Red Baron.

Many of the 200 different music boxes bring $200 to $400, but collecting Peanuts items is a great hobby for beginners since the vast majority of objects sell for less than $30, especially plush toys, which seem to be in never-ending supply.

Snoopy is far and away the most popular character, trailed by Woodstock, Charlie Brown, Lucy and Linus.

The copyright date has no bearing on the value of Peanuts collectibles because it refers to the date that character first appeared as a drawing or 3D figure, not when the item was made.

For more on Peanuts collectibles, Hyman recommends Andrea Podley, a 25-year veteran collector and the head of the Peanuts Collector Club, which has 3,000 members. She also is author of Peanuts Collectibles Identification & Value Guide. Her email address is acpodley@nas.com.


Find out about other collectibles described by The Saturday Early Show's Tony Hyman in the Collectibles Archive or visit Tony Hyman's Web site.

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.

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