Anyone who says they carried PEZ dispensers around as a kid because they liked the candy is lying. PEZ candy is just as disappointing as other chalk-like confections like Smarties and candy cigarettes. Yet, unlike the banned candies of yore, PEZ dispensers haven't fallen out of favor quite yet. With the collector's market moving towards the retro and kitschy, Gen X and Millennials can't get enough of these adorable collectibles. Chalk it up to nostalgia if you want, but the most valuable PEZ dispensers aren't only dispensing candies but cold, hard cash, too.
12 Most Valuable PEZ Dispensers That Put the Capital P in Pricey
PEZ dispensers are one of those quirky, cheap collectibles that litter consignment store shelves. Since 1949, the Austrian-based PEZ Candy Company has made these brightly colored, pop-culture candy toys. Coupled with their sleeves of powdered candy tablets, these valuable PEZ dispensers come from the mid-century heyday of all things zany and marketable.
If PEZ could make a deal with any brand or pop culture phenomenon, they did. This led to decades' worth of weird partnerships and even weirder designers. But it's these iconic fever-dream-like designs that make these PEZ dispensers worth so much today.
| Most Valuable PEZ Dispensers | Recent Sales Prices |
| 1961 Political Dispensers | $20,000-$25,000 |
| Mickey Mouse Soft Head | $3,500 |
| Dumbo Soft Head | $2,728 |
| Captain Hook Soft Head | $2,247 |
| Wedding Prototype | $2,000 |
| Astronaut A | $1,900 |
| 1950s Space Gun Dispenser | $1,099.99 |
| Universal Monster Dispensers | $600 |
| Psychedelic Eyeball Flower Mod PEZ | $350 |
| 1966 Batman with Cape | $166 |
| Vintage Santa | $70 |
| 1982 World's Fair Astronaut B | Unknown |
1961 Political Dispensers: ~$20,000-$25,000
As a gift to President John F. Kennedy, the PEZ Candy Company created two donkey dispensers and one elephant dispenser in honor of America's prevailing two-party system. One of these donkeys was even presented to the president when he visited Austria before his assassination.
While these dispensers won't be going to auction anytime soon, they have a combined estimated value of between $20,000 and $25,000.
Mickey Mouse Soft Head: $3,500
During the 1970s, PEZ proposed a line of soft-head Disney dispensers. Prototypes of the heads were supposed to be made in Hong Kong, sent to Austria, and attached later. However, Disney never green-lit the project, so these gummy-headed prototypes never made it to market.
With so few of them known to exist, they're worth a ton of money. The Mickey Mouse is perhaps the most valuable of these soft heads, with one selling in 2019 for a shocking $3,500.
Dumbo Soft Head: $2,728
Another Disney soft head prototype to be on the lookout for is Dumbo, with his iconic (though seriously scaled down) ears and yellow hat. Attached to a pink stem, one of these prototypes sold for $2,728 in 2019.
According to PEZ, the company sells approximately 70 million dispensers every year!
Captain Hook Soft Head: $2,247
PEZ didn't limit themselves to pitching only Disney heroes; instead, they took a walk on the wild side with their Capitan Hook soft head. Though it's not a particularly remarkable dispenser design, its soft head makes it rather valuable today. One of these sold in 2019 for $2,247 in an eBay auction.
Wedding Prototype: $2,000
One lucky PEZ employee was gifted a bride and groom pair of PEZ dispensers in 1978 for their upcoming nuptials. Since the two PEZ dispensers weren't commercially distributed, they're considered extremely rare and sold at auction in 2012 for $2,000.
Related: 11 Most Valuable Garbage Pail Kids Cards for Collectors & Sellers
Astronaut "A": $1,900
PEZ Astronaut dispensers are extremely collectible because of how rare they are. Collectors usually hold on to these space-themed dispensers, so they don't often come up for auction.
Made in the early 1960s, these dispensers come without feet and feature a silver helmet-covered astronaut head at the top. One from 1962 recently came to auction and sold for just under $2,000 online.
1950s Space Gun Dispenser: $1,099.99
Undoubtedly the coolest vintage PEZ dispenser is the iconic Space Gun from the 1950s. Unlike the other dispensers on this list, the Space Gun kit came with a Space Age-inspired ray gun that could fit a dispenser sleeve inside.
Want a saliva-sucking piece of candy? Press the gun's trigger, and one would pop out of the barrel. It's a rare retro find and worth at least a thousand at auction. One preserved kit with the instructions and original box recently came up for sale on eBay and went for $1,099.99.
Universal Monster Dispensers: $600
Universal monsters like Frankenstein and the Creature from the Black Lagoon are horror touchstones of 20th-century pop culture, and pop culture's favorite candy company didn't disappoint.
Vintage Universal monster PEZ dispensers from the 1960s and 1970s are the most popular and can sell for a few hundred dollars when they're in good condition. For example, one Frankenstein dispenser from 1965 sold for $600 on eBay.
Psychedelic Eyeball Flower Mod PEZ: $350
PEZ didn't miss any opportunity to embrace that groovy, counterculture lifestyle that dominated the late 1960s with its packaging. The most valuable of these off-kilter dispensers is the 'Mod PEZ,' which features a rose flower head with an eyeball sitting in the center.
Typically, these are worth a few hundred dollars each, such as this unboxed one that recently sold for $350 on eBay.
Related: 7 Toys From the 60s That Prove Boomers Had It Better
1966 Batman With Cape: $166
During the 1960s, Adam West's primetime Batman launched the Dark Knight into the pop culture zeitgeist, and PEZ responded with their very own Batman dispenser.
Although there were many other DC superheroes to get their own PEZ dispensers, original Batman ones with their capes and feet attached are highly collectible today. Even unboxed ones have sold for a few hundred dollars, such as this near-mint condition caped crusader that sold for $166 on eBay.
Vintage Santas: $70
The early Santa PEZ dispensers from the 1950s are a fan favorite. From just stock Santa heads to full-body Old Saint Nicks, Santas from this period usually sell for around $100. For instance, this rare full-body Santa sold for $70 at an auction in 2021.
1982 World's Fair Astronaut B: Unknown
Legend has it that only two astronaut PEZ dispensers were created for the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee, for two private PEZ employees. One of these is blue with a yellow helmet, and the other (yet to surface) supposedly has a white base instead.
Although the blue one was listed on eBay, there's an ongoing scandal over whether or not the high-priced sale was actually made. Either way, this is one seriously rare PEZ dispenser with an unknown value.
4 Things That Make PEZ Dispensers More Valuable
Given the thousands of PEZ dispensers that have been produced since 1949, it takes a trained eye to catch one that's worth more than the average $5-$15 they usually go for online. If you have an old PEZ dispenser collection or you're browsing for something to make a quick buck off of at the thrift store, be sure to look for these specific characteristics, as they can raise a PEZ dispenser's value.
- Vintage vs. Modern: Check the patent number on the side of the dispenser's stem to see what numbers are listed. Dispensers with patent numbers 2,620,061 and 3,410,455 are a bit more valuable because they were made between 1952 and 1974 — a hit period for PEZ.
- Footed vs. Feetless: PEZ dispensers that come without the square feet used to hold them up are a sign that it may be an older model. The company started standardizing the use of feet by the 1980s, and these 'footless' ones are worth more, thanks to their age.
- Popular Characters vs. Unknowns: This one's the easiest. If you don't recognize the character, it's probably not worth that much. The PEZ resell market runs on nostalgia, and people are more willing to buy characters they remember than ones they've never seen before.
- Boxed vs. Unboxed: When it comes to most things, boxed collectibles are more valuable, and the same can be said for PEZ dispensers.
These PEZ Dispensers Have Oh-So-Sweet Values
While most PEZ dispensers aren't worth a ton of money, they imbue such a joyful and silly feeling in people that they're still traded and sold by the thousands. Don't count your rags-to-riches story out just yet! There's always a rare PEZ dispenser around the corner, just waiting to be discovered.
