Pez Dispensers - Not just for Candy

Anything collectable can be worth money and resold at a profit. And Pez dispensers are a collectable item perfect for resale. It's the perfect little money maker to watch for when you are in the thrift store. 

Two key things work directly in their favour. Small and light. That's right, it costs very little to send a Pez dispenser anywhere in the world and that opens your market considerably. Just remember the old research rule, since not every Pez dispenser is worth big bucks.

  Rule number 1:  Feet or no feet.

If it has no feet, i.e. it won't stand up on it's own, chances are it is older and worth some money. This is the easiest thing to look for when you are browsing through bags of plastic toys. 

  Rule number 2:  The patent number

There are 5 or 6 different patent numbers to look for. They are molded into the stem of the dispenser. The numbers range from 2,620,061 to 5,984,285. Wikipedia has a list of them here. When collectors talk about the patent number, they refer to them by the first two digits. So, it is common to refer to a 3.9 dispenser with no feet, which by the way is one of the most common ones to find that are worth money. 5.9's are currently worthless, since they are relatively new.

Remembering there two rules will empower you in the thrift store. At a glance, you will be able to see whether something is worthless or has some potential value.

Other things to look for include country of origin and different themes. Some dispensers are molded in Hungary or Austria and may be worth more. Once again, the country is generally molded into the stem of the dispenser. Different themes such as Disney or Star Wars, also carry some collectable value, but generally age is the primary driver of value. 

There are a ton of sites with Pez information including the following:

pez.com
pezcollectors.com
pezhead.org

And of course, books: