The file card was on the back of the packaging, and you read it before you opened anything. Name, code name, primary military speciality. You knew them all.

This is where we keep the G.I. Joe. A Real American Hero from '82 onward — the 3.75-inch run that took over the toy aisle. Swivel-arm figures, Cobra vehicles, the odd Skystriker that somehow survived a childhood intact. Classified Series and 25th Anniversary for the modern shelf.

The O-ring is the thing. On a vintage Joe it perishes with age and the figure goes floppy at the waist. We check it, we say so, and we price accordingly. We photograph the actual item.

We're still filling this shelf. Tell us who's missing from your roster.

Reconnect with your childhood — one toy at a time.