Most Hess trucks from the mid 1980s onward sell for about $20-60 in their boxes as of October 2026, often close to what they cost new, because collectors bought and saved them every year. The money is in the 1960s and early 1970s: a boxed 1964 Hess tanker brings roughly $1,800-2,700, the 1966 Voyager tanker ship about $2,000, and the 1967 "Red Velvet" tanker up to about $3,900.
Three things decide the price: the year and model, whether the original box and inserts are there, and whether the lights still work. A Hess truck without its box loses most of its collector value, and on the early pieces the box is often half the price.
Quick answer
- 1985 to today, boxed with lights working: about $20-60 as of October 2026. Loose: about $10-25.
- 1964 tanker (the first Hess truck): roughly $1,800-2,700 boxed in excellent condition, a few hundred dollars loose.
- 1966 Voyager tanker ship: about $1,800-2,500 boxed and complete. 1967 Red Velvet tanker: roughly $2,500-3,900.
- 1969 Woodbridge tanker and 1971 Season's Greetings fire truck: roughly $1,500-3,500 boxed. 1970 fire truck: about $300-525.
- Selected 1975 to 1980 trucks, such as the regular 1975 barrel truck, the 1977 tanker and the 1980 training van: about $375 boxed in dealer pricing. The rare US-made 1975 barrel truck is reported at $3,500 or more.
How do you identify and value a Hess truck, step by step?
Start with the year, because every Hess toy is a yearly holiday release and the year decides almost everything.
- Find the year. Most Hess trucks from the 1980s onward carry the year on the box, and many have it molded into the underside. The early pieces are identified by model: the 1964 tanker, the 1966 Voyager ship, the 1967 tanker on its red velvet base, the 1969 Woodbridge tanker, the 1970 and 1971 fire trucks, and so on. Collector lists by year show each one.
- Read the box. Hess boxes are printed with the model, and some early ones carry details that date them, such as "Home Office Woodbridge, New Jersey" on the 1969 Woodbridge tanker box. Inserts, battery instruction cards and the outer shipping carton all add value.
- Check where it was made. Some early models exist in more than one factory version. Mental Floss reports that the regular 1975 barrel truck sells for about $375, while the rare version made in the USA reaches $3,500 or more. The country is usually marked on the box or the underside.
- Install fresh batteries and test the lights. Hess trucks are known for working lights. The 1964 tanker has working headlights and taillights, and the 1967 tanker has flashing lights and a removable hose. Lights that work are part of the baseline price.
- Open the battery compartment. Corrosion from old batteries is the most common damage. Green or white crust on the contacts is a clear deduction, and corrosion that has eaten the wiring can make a truck a parts unit.
- Count the parts. Hoses, ladders, the trailer's cargo, the small vehicles carried on later trucks, and the 1966 Voyager's many small parts are often missing. A truck is complete only with everything it came with.
- Judge the paint and plastic. Scratches, missing decals, sun fading and broken tabs all cut the price. On the early models, a truck that looks played with is worth a fraction of a crisp one.
- Search sold listings for the exact year. Filter to sold. Compare boxed with boxed and loose with loose.
What are Hess trucks worth by year?
Values are for boxed trucks with working lights as of October 2026, unless noted. The early pieces trade in small numbers, and much of the published pricing comes from specialist dealers and a few auction results, so read those rows as ranges.
| Year | Model | Loose | Boxed, excellent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Hess tanker (B-model Mack), the first Hess truck | A few hundred dollars | Roughly $1,800-2,700 |
| 1966 | Voyager tanker ship, about 18 inches | Sales thin | About $1,800-2,500 |
| 1967 | "Red Velvet" tanker on red velvet base | Sales thin | Roughly $2,500-3,900 |
| 1969 | "Woodbridge" tanker | Sales thin | Roughly $1,500-3,500 |
| 1970 | Fire truck | Sales thin | About $300-525 |
| 1971 | "Season's Greetings" fire truck | Sales thin | Roughly $2,500-3,500 |
| 1975 | Barrel truck, regular | Sales thin | About $375 |
| 1975 | Barrel truck, made in the USA | Sales thin | $3,500 or more reported |
| 1977 | Tanker with black switch | Sales thin | About $375 |
| 1980 | Training van | Sales thin | About $375 |
| 1993 | Premium Diesel tanker, given to bulk fuel customers | Sales thin | About $750 sealed in its green wrap |
| 2002 | Truck and airplane | $15-30 | About $75 |
| 1985 to today | Most yearly trucks | $10-25 | About $20-60 |
A few anchors from real sales and dealers. LoveToKnow reports a 1964 tanker in great condition with its box that sold at auction for $2,700, and a 1967 Red Velvet tanker that sold online for $3,900. Mental Floss, quoting Hess dealer Ray Patterson of Ray's Hess Toy Trucks, puts a mint boxed 1964 tanker at $1,800 or more and notes that it cost $1.39 new, with about 150,000 made. A boxed 1966 Voyager with its instructions sold on eBay for $2,389.99 on an accepted offer, in line with the roughly $1,800-2,500 that a specialist dealer has asked for boxed examples, with top-condition sets with the advertising sign listed higher. For the yearly trucks of the last four decades, the honest picture is that they sell close to their original price, sometimes below it, because millions were saved boxed.
Why are old Hess trucks worth so much more than new ones?
Because in the 1960s they were toys, and children played with them. From the 1980s on they became collectibles, and buyers kept them in their boxes.
Hess Oil and Chemical began selling a toy tanker at its gas stations in 1964, according to Wikipedia's Hess history. The trucks were sold before Christmas each year, a tradition the official Hess Toy Truck site describes as more than 60 years long, with the 2026 Hauler Truck and Snow Plow on sale now. The 1964 and 1966 pieces were bought by parents and given to children who ran them across the floor, so few survive complete, clean and boxed. By contrast, a 1995 truck was often bought two at a time, one to play with and one to keep sealed. LoveToKnow notes that values dip sharply once you move into the 1990s for exactly that reason.
The 1966 Voyager shows the effect. The Ray's Hess Toy Trucks reference page describes it as about 18 inches long, with working bow, stern, port and starboard lights and wheels underneath, sold for $1.89 with about 150,000 made, and very hard to find complete because of its many small parts. The box held three cardboard inserts and a battery instruction card; an optional black plastic stand and a small Season's card are extras.
What changes the price of a Hess truck?
The box and the lights, in that order.
| Factor | Effect on price |
|---|---|
| Original box with all inserts and cards | The baseline for the boxed prices above |
| Box missing | Most of the collector value is gone; often 20-40 percent of the boxed price on early models |
| Box worn, torn or water stained | Deduction of a quarter to a half |
| Lights working with fresh batteries | Part of the baseline |
| Lights dead, clean contacts | Deduction of about a quarter; often a wiring repair |
| Battery corrosion | Deduction of a third or more; heavy corrosion makes a parts unit |
| Missing hose, ladder, cargo or small vehicle | Deduction of a quarter or more |
| Decals peeling or missing | A clear deduction on early models |
| Rare factory version (such as the US-made 1975 barrel truck) | Several times the regular version |
| Still sealed in original wrap, modern trucks | A small premium, often $5-15 |
A worked example
Say you find a green and white tanker truck in a closet, about 12 inches long, in a worn box with Hess printed on it. It has a Mack cab, a long tanker trailer and small clear lenses at the front and back. Fresh batteries light the headlights and taillights.
The size, the Mack cab and the tanker trailer point to the 1964 Hess tanker, the first one. The box is present but worn at the corners, the decals are complete and the battery compartment shows only light old marks. Loose, this truck would be worth a few hundred dollars. With its box, even a worn one, and working lights, it is likely in the $1,200-2,000 range, below the $1,800-2,700 of crisp boxed examples. Before selling, confirm it against a Hess collector reference, because later Hess tankers and the Hess miniatures look similar at a glance.
Common mistakes
- Expecting every Hess truck to be valuable. Most from 1985 onward sell close to their original price.
- Throwing away the box. On a Hess truck the box is the collector value, especially on the early models.
- Storing a truck with batteries inside. Leaking cells in the compartment are the most common damage.
- Pricing from asking prices. Listings at several times recent sold prices are common for the 1990s and 2000s trucks.
- Confusing a later reissue or mini with an original. Hess has released miniatures and anniversary pieces that copy early trucks. Check the year on the box and underside.
- Opening a sealed modern truck to test it. The small sealed premium goes with the wrap.
How WorthPic reads Hess truck photos
WorthPic runs on the newest and most capable AI model available, tuned for exactly this kind of identification. From a photo of the truck it reads the cab, the trailer or body, the colors and decals and the overall size, and places the model by year against the Hess releases. From the box it reads the printing, the year, the inserts and the condition, and from the underside any year and country marks. It notes missing hoses, ladders and small vehicles, decal wear and visible battery corrosion. It then gives an honest value range with a most likely figure. What it cannot know from a photo is whether the lights work, and it asks you to say so. It identifies and estimates. It does not authenticate, grade or appraise.
What to photograph
- The truck from the side in daylight, full length.
- The box front, back and ends, with any printing readable.
- The underside, with any year and country marks.
- The open battery compartment.
- Any inserts, battery cards, stands or small vehicles.
- A note or a short video showing whether the lights work.
When to get it looked at in person
A Hess truck from 1985 or later does not need an expert. A sold-listing search for the exact year, boxed or loose, is the whole job. If the same shelf holds vintage Tonka trucks, Matchbox cars or a Lionel train set, those guides show which of them matter. Worth a second opinion: any 1964 to 1972 Hess piece, the US-made 1975 barrel truck, the 1993 Premium Diesel tanker and any truck that came with dealer paperwork or a shipping carton. For those, a Hess specialist dealer or an established toy auction house will know which factory version you have and what it brings, far better than a general appraiser.
Sources
- Mental Floss: valuable Hess trucks: dealer values for the 1964, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1977, 1980 and 2002 trucks, the $1.39 price and about 150,000 made in 1964.
- LoveToKnow: Hess truck values: auction results for the 1964, 1967, 1969, 1970 and 1971 trucks, the 1993 Premium Diesel tanker, features and the 1990s value dip.
- Ray's Hess Toy Trucks: 1966 Voyager tanker ship: length, lights, box inserts, $1.89 price and about 150,000 made.
- Hess Toy Truck official site: the 2026 Hauler Truck and Snow Plow and the 60-plus year history.
- Wikipedia: Hess Corporation, toy trucks section: Hess Oil and Chemical selling its first toy tanker at gas stations in 1964.