'TOY ROADSHOW' TO VISIT CAPE BEGINNING TODAY

Barbie isn't a toy anymore!

She's big business.

Barbie, introduced to the toy world in 1959, made some big headlines in Cape Girardeau in 1990. A St. Louis woman attending an Arena Building Antique and Collectibles Show, purchased a first-edition Barbie, complete with the original swimsuit and original box, for $2,300.

That was a bargain in comparison to today's climbing prices for first-edition Barbies, which can sell up to $10,000 and even more in the original box.

The doll originally cost $3.

Toys -- Barbies and other dolls, G.I. Joes, old Lionel and American Flyer trains sets, 1950s mechanized space toys and robots, most windup or battery-operated toys, Hot Wheels and matchbox toys -- will be in the spotlight this week at the International Toy Collectors Association "Toy Roadshow."

The roadshow will be held today, Thursday and Friday, at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, in Cape Girardeau.

"The roadshow is not designed to appraise old toys," said Frank Ross, a coordinator of the show for the association, "but the roadshow is a great opportunity for local residents and collectors to ask questions about antique toys."

A team of toy collectors from the association, which sponsors 48 shows a year throughout the United States, will provide collectors an estimated value of their toys, and will provide immediate offers to purchase the old toys.

"We buy and sell toys at the show, and we'll tell you what your toy is worth," said Jeff Parsons, president of the association, headquartered at Springfield, Ill.

Parsons, a collector of German windup toys, will be at the show.

"We have access to more than 5,000 collectors worldwide," he said. "These collectors are looking for toys."

Broken toys are still worth something. Parsons said, "Many collectors are looking for pieces to repair items they already have."

TOY SHOW

What: Toy road show

When: Today, Thursday, Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Where: Holiday Inn Convention Center