Old Vinyl Records
Your dusty record collection might be worth more than you think. National events like Record Store Day have hipsters and older people standing in line for special sales, while coveted first pressings can command thousands of dollars. Copies of popular 1967 Beatles albums have brought up to $290,500 at auction, although most sell for a couple hundred dollars. The key is identifying original pressings or limited editions that collectors desperately want.
Even records that aren’t super rare can still fetch decent money. A 1957 Elvis Christmas album was listed for $149 on Reverb. It’s not exactly lottery money, but it’s certainly better than letting these vinyl treasures gather dust while taking up space.
Vintage Toys From Your Childhood
Toys that once sat on bedroom shelves are now raking in jaw-dropping prices on the resale market, with no price ceiling in sight. These iconic favorites from decades ago attract collectors and might fetch a pretty penny, with some selling for a couple hundred dollars while others command prices into the tens of thousands. The trick is knowing which ones actually have value.
Vintage G.I. Joe action figures are now highly valuable collectibles selling for thousands, while original 1960s Dam Things trolls from Denmark are the most valuable, especially rare animal trolls or holiday-themed versions. Vintage Star Wars toys are classic moneymakers, especially Boba Fett figures, and whether it’s a $50 profit on an old Lite Brite or almost 100 grand for some G.I. Joe’s, there’s a lot of people willing to buy stuff out there.
Pokemon Cards
Pokemon made a comeback in recent years, but the original cards are the ones still commanding a high price tag, with original 1990s cards particularly those made in Japan selling for more than $600 as a complete set. The most expensive cards include ones won by competitors at official Pokemon competitions, with the 1997 Trophy Pikachu Trainer Card selling for over £230,000 in an auction in 2023!
A first edition Holographic Shadowless Charizard can be worth £15,000+, and a first edition Shining Charizard may fetch over £1,000, however these cards are incredibly rare and the vast majority of Pokemon cards aren’t worth a lot. Still, it’s worth checking what you have before donating that shoebox full of colorful cards.
Baseball Cards
When pegging the value of baseball cards, the general rule is that the older they are, the more they are worth, with many nuances that determine a card’s worth, so if you’ve come across a hoard of old cards, it’s worth getting them appraised, with cards selling online for thousands of dollars based on variables like condition, player, and year. The cards your dad collected as a kid could actually pay for your kid’s college tuition.
It’s like a lottery where everyone forgot they bought tickets. The difference between a worthless card and a valuable one often comes down to tiny details that only collectors understand. Don’t assume that bent corner ruins everything – sometimes imperfections actually make cards more interesting to the right buyer.
Vintage Christmas Ornaments
A box of vintage Christmas ornaments in good condition could be worth hundreds of dollars, with those most valued by collectors being German “kugeln” or hand blown glass balls first produced during the Biedermeier period. A collection of traditional glass Christmas tree ornaments from the mid-20th Century sold for $527 on EBTH, with heavy, glass-blown ones known as “kugels” often in fruit shapes worth more than $50 each.
Ceramic Christmas trees from the 1980s or 1990s are newly hot holiday decor items. These weren’t exactly heirlooms when your mom bought them at the craft store, but now they’re surprisingly sought after by people wanting that retro holiday vibe.
Vintage Board Games
An original hand drawn oil cloth version of Monopoly made in 1933 and owned by the game’s inventor Charles Darrow sold for $146,500 at Sotheby’s in 2011, while vintage versions from the 1930s have sold for $3,125 and limited editions sell for hundreds on eBay. Original packaging matters with vintage board games, as well as original instructions, leaflets or labels, with Monopoly games from the 1930s to the 1950s sought after thanks to their rarity.
Some vintage Milton Bradley board games can be worth hundreds, with mint condition editions that have all pieces ensuring a higher price. That complete Scrabble set with all the wooden tiles might actually be sitting on decent money, especially if it still has the original box and instructions.
First Edition Books
Old books lying around should be checked for first editions of classic novels, which can be surprisingly valuable especially if they feature well-known authors like Jane Austen or Charles Dickens, with dust jackets and specific printings really boosting the value. Rare and classic books like Pride and Prejudice, The Hobbit, The Great Gatsby and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland tend to fetch the highest prices at auction, with the most expensive book ever sold being Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester for $53.5 million.
Cookbooks that have gone out-of-print are highly valuable, with celebrity chefs like Julia Child always in demand, and a 1961 first edition of Mastering the Art of French Cooking selling on AbeBooks for $2,000. Even those Betty Crocker cookbooks your grandmother used can be worth something to the right collector.
Vintage Dishware and China
Age plays a big part in how valuable china is to collectors, with an antique piece of Rose Medallion china potentially worth thousands if it is several hundred years old, while newer pieces of Noritake china are not worth as much. Resellers and dealers may pay up to $1,000 for a Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica dinner plate, the golden ticket of pre-owned china.
Original Fiesta dishware from Homer Laughlin China Company shook up American tabletops in 1936, with a complete 7-piece mixing bowl set fetching upwards of $3,000, marmalade jars valued at upwards of $400, and onion soup bowls with their matching lid commanding around $800. Even common patterns can bring in a few hundred dollars if they’re complete sets in good condition.
Vintage Costume Jewelry
Early computer games and costume jewelry from brands with popular names are worth looking out for, with vintage Miriam Haskell necklaces currently being sold for up to £3,400. Pure sterling silver from flatware to home decor to jewelry can sell for a lot, especially if it’s made by a reputable brand or silversmith like Tiffany & Co, with many people not realizing they’re sitting on sterling because it’s not always labeled clearly.
That chunky bracelet your aunt wore in the seventies might actually be worth more than the real jewelry you bought last month. The key is identifying genuine vintage pieces from quality makers rather than the cheap stuff that was always cheap.
Old Musical Instruments
You may have given up your ambitions of being in a rock band, but that Gibson you bought in high school is probably worth some serious money. Vintage guitars especially have maintained or increased their value significantly over the decades. Old wooden tennis racquets tucked away can be surprisingly valuable if well-preserved, with collectors often seeking out specific brands or models for their nostalgic appeal.
Even broken instruments can have value for parts or restoration projects. That trumpet with the stuck valve or the violin missing strings could still be worth hundreds to the right musician or repair shop.
Vintage Electronics
Anything with gears, push buttons, and tubes are fascinating to the younger generation who have grown up in a wireless world, with old typewriters needing to be in working condition and selling for $20 to $100, or in the low hundreds when fully restored. The simplicity of first video games on Game Boy evokes nostalgia for many people, with even Game Boys in fair condition selling for at least $100, while new or close to new ones could get closer to $1,000.
Vintage audio equipment like turntables and gear for audiophiles, such as Marantz amplifiers, are very valuable as everyone wants a record player these days with vinyl being huge again. That old stereo system might be exactly what some hipster is willing to pay top dollar for.
Beanie Babies
This toy is the poster child for a collectible that once had rabidly enthusiastic fans and is now worthless, with some bean bag animals once worth thousands but most now worth less than in the 1990s, even if they still have the tags on. However, while Beanie Babies didn’t turn into the college savings plan many hoped, a few plush toys are worth more than they originally sold for, with Valentino the Bear selling for up to $200 in new condition, and some rare, mint condition ones going for even more on eBay.
If you have an old storage box full of these in your basement or attic, it may be worth taking a few minutes to sift through and see if there are any of value, with mint condition requiring good physical shape with no dirt, worn exterior, wrinkles or tears in the hang tag, and tush tag still intact. Most won’t make you rich, but you might find a diamond in the rough worth checking before you donate the whole collection.