Happy National Yo-Yo Day!

June 6 is  National Yo-Yo Day,  celebrated each year since 1990. Did you know that yo-yo’s have been around for about 2,000 years, first played with in ancient Greece? Modern yo-yo’s were popularized in the Philippines, with the word “yo-yo” first appearing in a Filipino dictionary in 1860. They became popular in the 1930s, with the best known yo-yo’s produced by the Duncan Toys Company (1929-) in Middlefield, Ohio. Early yo-yo’s were wooden and often had colorful graphics. A Hi-Ker Spin Master wooden yo-yo from the 1950s is $35 on eBay.

If collecting vintage yo-yo’s here are some tips, according to YoYoMuseum.com:

• Look for clean, sharp graphics on each yo-yo half. Graphics colors should be rich and not faded.
• Centered graphics on the halves.
• No visible flaws on the yo-yo itself.
• No bent, opened, torn, or cracked packaging.
• Packages that do not have a store sticker or price sticker.
• No loose halves or excessive scrapes.

Photo: Ebay/julie_n_mark