Perfume bottles
Perfume bottles are a popular collectible. The International Perfume Bottle Association, or IPBA, is an organization devoted to antique perfume bottles. Perfume bottles from the 1920s and 1930s with elaborate designs are highly valued, and bottles from the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression eras are also in high demand.
Barbie dolls
The most valuable Barbie dolls are those that were produced before 1985. If you have an older Barbie that isn’t in pristine condition but still looks good, consider taking it to a restorer who can repair any damage and repaint it if necessary so that it looks like new again. This will help increase its value even more when you go to sell it later on down the line.
First Edition books
If you’re a book lover, you might have a few first editions on your shelf. Maybe it’s a classic like Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice or a modern best seller like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. For example, if you find a first edition copy of The Canterbury Tales, there are fewer than 500 known copies left in existence – and they can sell for thousands of dollars!
Pyrex
The Pyrex name is a household name, but people don’t know what it actually stands for. While the brand has been around since 1915, it wasn’t until 1979 that Corning Glass Works officially branded its heat-resistant glassware as Pyrex. While almost any vintage Pyrex item could appeal to collectors, the most in-demand Pyrex pieces come from the late 1940s to the ’80s.
Comic books
If you’re digging through your parents’ attic and come across some old comic books, you might have a couple thousand dollars in your hands. Comic book collectors have been known to pay top dollar for rare issues because they are considered collectible items worth more than their cover price. If you’re not sure of an issue’s value, use an online appraisal service.
Vintage electronics
There’s an entire industry centered around the buying and selling of vintage goods. If you have old phones, electronics or computers lying around your house, there’s a chance they could fetch a pretty penny on the antique market. Apple’s original Mac computer sells for around $100 to $300 on eBay – but has sold for as much as $900,000!
Old photographs
Photograph dealers buy old photos from individuals who want to sell them for cash or trade. These dealers then resell the photos at flea markets, auctions or on eBay for several times what they paid for them if they think they’re valuable enough. You don’t need to know anything about photography; all you need is one person willing to take it off your hands.
Cutlery
If you have inherited a set of sterling silver flatware and don’t know what to do with it, consider taking it to an antique store. Look for hallmarks on the pieces. Hallmarks are stamps placed on metal products that indicate where they were made and at which date they were produced. If a piece has no hallmark, then it was made before 1838.
Costume jewelry
Even costume jewelry has its fans, and there’s a market for vintage pieces. Costume jewelry is any piece of jewelry that was mass-produced and sold to the public as affordable items. These pieces were often made from inexpensive materials like plastic or bakelite (an early plastic resin). With the rise of vintage fashion and the popularity of handmade goods today, the demand for costume jewelry is increasing.
Musical instruments
If you have a vintage musical instrument, then it’s time to consider selling it. You may be surprised at the potential value of your instrument, especially if it’s a rare find or in excellent condition. If it’s been well-kept and has no cracks or other damage that would affect its playability or sound quality, then it should be worth more.
Action figures
A small but growing community of collectors is building collections of action figures – not just Star Wars and Transformers, but also G.I. Joe, Masters of the Universe and more. Most of the pieces in these collections go for a few hundred dollars each; a rare one can fetch tens of thousands.
Baseball cards
If you’re like most people, you probably had a bunch of baseball cards as a kid. And then at some point, you decided it was time to get rid of them. Maybe you thought they were worthless – but that’s not true. One baseball card from the 1980s recently sold for $10,000. And Mickey Mantle’s 1952 card sold for about $12.6 million in October 2021.
Fishing gear
Antique fishing reels are a niche collectible. The best ones have been in the hands of collectors for years and have appreciated significantly in value. For example, a Shakespeare spinning reel sold for $1,775 in August 2022. The most valuable reels are those made by legendary manufacturers like Hardy Brothers and Penn International. One of these reels can be worth anywhere from $400 to $1,000 each.
Furniture
You can find both new and used furniture on the Internet. There are also many websites that will sell vintage pieces so they can help restore them or fix them up for resale. The online marketplace for used furniture is growing as more homeowners and renters look for inexpensive options. Furniture sellers also have more options than ever before.
Pokémon cards
Pokémon cards are collectible, trading cards based on the Pokémon franchise. What makes Pokémon cards so valuable? In addition to being rare and in good condition, they’re also valuable if they have either a holofoil or holographic border that appears when you move certain lights over them. The rarest Pokémon card ever sold is the Pikachu Illustrator card, which sold for $6 million in 2022.
Posters
Posters are often issued as promotional tools by companies that sponsor pop concerts or sporting events. They’re also sold at retail stores near venues where they are used as display pieces or as giveaways with purchases made during events. Poster prices have been going up since 1980 when a Led Zeppelin concert poster sold for $1,500.
Hot Wheels
If you were a kid in the 1970s and 1980s, chances are you had at least a few Hot Wheels toy cars. The miniature vehicles were originally made by Mattel. The most valuable Hot Wheels car is the 1969 Volkswagen Beach Bomb. Only a limited number were produced due to a design error, and these cars are estimated to be worth $125,000 each.
Chandeliers
The value of a chandelier depends on its condition and size, but also on whether it’s made of glass or crystal. Crystal is more expensive than glass and tends to be found in fancier fixtures that date back further than the 20th century. Most chandeliers are made from metal with crystals or glass pieces attached.
Typewriters
With the rise of computers and tablets, typewriters have become a very rare sight in today’s world. However, there are still many people who value the style, look and feel of this old-fashioned writing method. If your family has owned a typewriter for years and it hasn’t been used much in recent times then you might want to consider selling it for some extra cash.
Old school cameras
If your old camera is no longer working, you might think that it’s all but worthless. But if you have an old camera, it could be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The condition of the body and lens can play a role in determining whether or not your old camera is worth anything.
Coins
The best way to find out if your coins are worth anything is to take them to a local coin dealer. They’ll be able to tell you how much your loose change is. If you have old coins, like those from the 1920s, 30s or 40s, they’re definitely worth checking out. Classic Australian pre-decimal coins can fetch hundreds of dollars each because they’re so rare!
Stamps
Stamps are not just pieces of paper with pictures on them. They are works of art, created to commemorate historic events, honor famous people and places, or promote causes such as world peace or environmental awareness. If you have some old stamp collections lying around in your attic or basement, now is the time to dig them out and see what treasures you have!
Vinyl records
The market for rare vinyl is booming, with collectors willing to pay thousands of pounds for certain records. If you have an original copy of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album from 1967, it could be worth as much as £10,000.
VHS tapes
With the advent of streaming media and home video, it’s easy to forget that there was an era when physical media ruled. And like any other collectible, there are some rare items out there that will net you a big payday. The most valuable VHS titles tend to be rare or out-of-print releases from studios like Disney and Warner Brothers that have been discontinued from production.
Cassette tapes
The 1980s are back in style, and so is the cassette tape. In fact, some people are paying big bucks for them. A copy of The Artist album by Prince sold for $4117 on Discogs.com in 2016. The first cassette players were introduced in 1964 and became popular throughout the 1970s with portable models such as Sony’s Walkman becoming famous worldwide for their portability and convenience.
Tupperware
In the 1950s, Tupperware was a household name. The plastic food storage containers had become a must-have product for housewives across America. But as time went on, Tupperware’s popularity began to fade. But recently, Tupperware has been making a comeback. If you’re lucky enough to have inherited some rarer pieces from your mother or grandmother’s collection, it may be time to sell them off.
Crockery
The value of tea and dining sets can vary greatly depending on their age and condition. If you have an old set that has been passed down through the generations, it may be worth a lot of money. It is important that there is no damage and that the set is complete.
PEZ dispensers
Kids and adults alike have been collecting PEZ dispensers for decades. While some are worth a small fortune, others will only set you back a dollar or two. In 2006, the Astronaut B dispenser sold on eBay for $32,000. Today, there are more than 120 different varieties of PEZ collectible dispensers available on the market including animals, celebrities and even cartoon characters like SpongeBob SquarePants and Scooby-Doo!
Monopoly
Vintage Monopoly boards are in high demand. An original hand-drawn oil cloth version made in 1933 and owned by the game’s inventor Charles Darrow sold for $146,500 at Sotheby’s auction house in 2011. The game was originally called The Landlord’s Game because it was designed to teach people about how unfair land ownership could be when there were no rules restricting how much rent could be charged.
Furbys
Furbys were one of the hottest gifts for kids in the late nineties. They were little creatures that spoke their own language, which kids had to learn in order to understand them. Furbys eventually became less popular as newer toys came along, but there are still collectors looking for early versions, which can sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Lego
People are crazy about Legos – chances are you grew up playing with the colorful bricks. The company has been around for more than 80 years, and in that time, it’s sold more than 400 billion Lego pieces. And because they’re so popular, there’s a thriving market for vintage sets that have been handed down through generations or simply purchased at garage sales and flea markets.
Happy Meal toys
For more than three decades, McDonald’s has been selling Happy Meals. And for more than three decades, collectors have been going to great lengths to obtain every toy in each set. Some people are looking for rare and vintage toys. Some want certain characters – like the Hamburglar or Grimace – while others search for specific colors or variations on the packaging.
Mason jars
Mason jars were popular until Tupperware came along in 1946, but they’re still desirable today thanks to being durable, inexpensive and reusable. Today’s collectors seek out rare pieces from this era — like those with embossed designs or with straw holes in them — because they’re among the first examples of mass-produced glassware ever made in America.
Lunch boxes
The concept of the lunch box has been around since the early 1900s, but it wasn’t until the late 1950s that they became a pop culture phenomenon. In the 1960s and 70s, lunch boxes were used as advertisements for children’s shows and movies. A Jetsons 1963 lunch box can sell for $1,650 these days, while a rare 1954 Superman box can be up to $16,000.
Postcards
If you’re like most people, you probably have a bunch of old postcards lying around your house. Postcards are basically a form of art – they’re printed on high-quality paper and some include intricate designs or illustrations. If you still have some from your great-grandparents’ travels, they might be worth more than you’d expect. Rare postcards or postcards with a unique message can sell for hundreds of dollars.
Christmas tree ornaments
The best thing about vintage glass ornaments is that they’re usually pretty easy to find. Blown glass ornaments from Germany and Italy can fetch anywhere from $50 to $500 apiece depending on their size and decoration. But even lesser-quality glass balls can still bring in some cash if they’re in good condition.
Cereal boxes
Most people don’t even think twice about their cereal box, let alone try to sell it for thousands of dollars. But it turns out that there’s a lot more money in breakfast than we thought. The most expensive box ever sold was a “holographic imprinted” Batman cereal that sold for $8,000 on eBay in 2015.
Piggy banks
Most people think of piggy banks as little ceramic containers with a slot on top where you can put coins and then shake them out when they’re full. But there are other types of banks out there – including mechanical ones, and these can be worth up to tens of thousands of dollars.
Vintage lamps
If you’re a thrifter, you’re probably used to seeing lamps that look like they were bought in the 1950s or 1960s. Many older lamps were made by hand with materials like brass or glass that are now hard to come by. Plus, many collectors seek out antique pieces for their historical value as well as their visual appeal.
Tools
The most valuable tool in your shed may be a little gem that you don’t even know exists. For example, a rare John Deere Wrench recently sold for $16,500. How do you know if you have one of these treasures? Look for any sign of age – faded paint, rust or dents – and be sure to check for any markings or labels.
