When an old building is torn down, people sometimes salvage the windows, stashing them away in a barn or basement. If the old windows have leaded glass detailing or pretty stained glass elements, they may be worth a lot of money. Antique stained glass windows range from ornate to simple, but many are highly valued for the historic beauty they can bring to modern construction. Special examples like this Mackintosh Rose window sell for around $2,500, but even simple designs regularly fetch hundreds of dollars. Any vintage item in good condition will generally bring a good price.
However, sneakers are quickly becoming one of the most valuable vintage items on the market. There is a huge demand for first and limited-edition sneakers. In particular, Nike and Adidas sneakers in mint condition regularly sell for thousands of dollars on eBay. Monopoly, Life, Risk… who didn't have a closet filled with these old classics during their childhood?! While most of these games have been produced for decades and can still be purchased today, it's the rare and vintage examples that have collectible value.
Even more modern games that may be difficult to find can be worth several hundred dollars. In some cases, as with rare coins, stamps and even comic books, professional grading services will validate how well-preserved something is. With coins, the difference between an MS-70 coin — the highest possible, with no imperfections — and an uncirculated MS-60 coin can be thousands of dollars.
With other collectibles, however, you'll have to learn to use your own eye. As with many of the items on this list, rarity is a bigger determinant of value than age. Certain comic books were produced in limited quantities and can be nearly impossible to track down. Other valuable examples include editions in which a now-famous character was first introduced. For example, the most expensive comic book ever sold (for a whopping $3.2 million) featured the first appearance of Superman.
While it may seem bizarre to sell your family's photos to a total stranger, there is a market for old black and white images. Those made with older technology, like tintypes, ambrotypes and daguerreotypes may be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars at auction. The most sought-after and expensive photographs depict famous or well-known people. However, there is also an interest among collectors for portraits of soldiers and group images of children. Age is a factor in determining the value of an old photograph, but it is not the only factor taken into account. A box of vintage Christmas ornaments in good condition could be worth hundreds of dollars.
Those most valued by collectors are German "kugeln" or hand blown glass balls. These were first produced during the Biedermeier period (c.1830) of extremely thick glass, colored with lead or silver nitrate and topped with a bronze cap. Because they were so heavy, they were suspended from the ceiling, rather than being hung on the Christmas tree. Even antique costume jewelry can be valuable, and fine jewelry is always worth money. Look for valuable gems, precious metals, and other special touches.
Brush up on understanding markings on jewelry so you can determine what the jewelry is made of and who the manufacturer may be. It's common for fine jewelry pieces to be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars, but the exact value is extremely variable. Collecting coins is a popular pastime that has huge rewards to the most persistent collectors.
In fact, rare coins can bring in thousands or even millions of dollars at auction. While your wheat pennies will only sell for a few bucks, coins made from precious metals or featuring mistakes are the most valuable ones. Unfortunately, investing in coins doesn't earn you any dividends.
Therefore, the value depends entirely upon how much someone is willing to pay. Mint condition first editions of comics often come with hefty price tags, however did you know that even modern comic books can be worth a lot. Keep in mind that firsts are always worth more; the first time a character is featured or a #1 of an issue will almost always be valuable. Also, like most things, any errors are always going to be worth seriously more money. Nostalgia is causing many people to seek out the toys of their childhood. As adults people are willing to pay higher prices to recapture some of those treasured childhood memories.Maybe unsurprisingly one of the best selling toys is Lego.
Enthusiasts are willing to pay big bucks for even just that one missing piece for their treasured set. Also it may surprise you that collectors out there are also looking to complete their McDonalds' happy meal toy set. The compulsion to collect these toys carries into adulthood for some and the price is increasing for these plastic playthings. The most valuable vinyl records are changing hands for astronomical amounts of money. The market for vinyl records changes all the time and it's not just the kind of records you'd expect to be worth a lot that are.
Don't worry if you do not possess a fine coin collection handed down to you as a family heirloom. Modern coins, that you may have in the form of pocket change, can be worth a lot of money. It is time to check any coin collecting vessels that you and your family may have in the home for treasure hidden in plain sight. Fine art and jewelry are lumped together because they are both highly personal collectibles. People who collect one or the other tend to collect items they like instead of which piece is worth the most money. Sure, an art or jewelry collector will seek out rare pieces, but usually only if that item they seek is aligned with their unique aesthetic.
Passing down fine art and jewelry to the next generation is a highly sentimental thing because each collection speaks to the person who collected it in a way that some of these other collectibles can't. You begged for them, saved up your allowance, and babysat for endless evenings in order to buy those coveted Air Jordans. "Early Air Jordan sneakers can sell for hundreds if not thousands of dollars, depending on which model and the condition." Check out 8 cheap items you can buy today that will be worth a fortune later. National events like the yearly Record Store Day have hipsters and older people alike standing in line for special sales on limited release titles and sought after vintage vinyl. "Some records won't sell for more than 50 cents while coveted first pressings can command thousands of dollars," says Dan Orkin, who manages the Reverb Price Guide. And even if they're not that much, they can fetch a good chunk of change, like a 1957 Elvis' Christmas album that was listed for $149 on Reverb.
Train sets are another commonly collected toy and while there are many manufacturers, Lionel was and remains the king of this category. This company lead the charge on several technological advancements, which ensured that their train sets were on Christmas wish lists for many generations. Today, the most valuable Lionel trains are those that were made before the start of WWII and can sell for thousands of dollars. Of course, when one thinks of collectibles, comic books are one of the first items that may come to mind. Fans of this colorful and entertaining media and of certain franchises may be willing to pay thousands for a hard-to-find edition in mint condition. How do you know if your comic book collection is trash or treasure?
Have an expert review and grade each book to determine its value. Mass-produced and frequently purchased as souvenirs in the first half of the twentieth century, some Morton and Ozark Roadside pottery may be quite valuable today. The highest prices are fetched by unique sets of figurines, "spatterware," which is characterized by a speckled pattern of brown, green and yellow hues, and pottery with a spiraled glaze. The more common pieces can be found on eBay and similar online marketplaces for $30 to $60, but those that are more rare often sell for hundreds of dollars.
For many years, digital photography has outstripped film cameras in terms of popularity, and many old film cameras have languished on shelves in storage units and attics. However, a resurgence in interest in film photography has pushed values up again. Certain antique cameras and lenses are worth hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Lenses made of brass are often worth a lot of money, with many very good examples selling for close to $2,000. There's a lot of variation in the paintings you find in attics and thrift stores, but some are extremely valuable. Skip the paint-by-number projects and look for original art with themes people enjoy.
Think equestrian paintings, pictures of famous people, and beautiful scenes. Pay special attention to paintings with signatures and those in beautiful frames, since those things can add value. Some examples are worth millions, but it's common to find paintings worth hundreds or thousands of dollars if they are high quality and desirable. Paintings are among the most valuable items on Antiques Roadshow too.
Children's toys like action figures, baseball cards, and McDonald's Happy Meal toys could be worth thousands of dollars. If your comic books have been well-loved and show their age, they won't be worth nearly this much. However, it is possible to find rare issues at conventions that you can sell or trade for a profit. Comic-Con events are a great place to build your comic book collection as well as find some of the oddest collectibles to invest in 2021.
The comics that are worth huge sums of money are often American ones where a new hero or villain was introduced, especially when those heroes or villains are still famous in today's action films. If you happen to have a first edition of The Dandy it could be worth £5,000. It could be worth £20,000 if you've still got the whistle that came with it. Polly Pocket dolls are worth some money apparently, which kind of bucks the trend of toy fads.
(Check out the 25 craziest toy fads in history.) It's only a specific kind of Polly Pocket dolls that collectors seek. Collectors like the dolls made prior to 1998 when Bluebird Toys produced them. Bluebird Toys made only 350 sets before Mattel purchased the company.
Almost everyone has random old postcards lying around in a drawer. A single postcard can sell for $2 or as much as a few hundred dollars, depending on a few factors. According to Warwick & Warwick, the age, rarity, condition, and subject matter all play a role. If the postcard is signed by someone noteworthy, has a message of historical significance, or has a sought-after postage stamp or postal markings, it will bring in more. Some of the more popular collectible postcards can be Art Nouveau and Art Deco style, or feature social history, street scenes, or transportation. Check out some of these vintage Thanksgiving postcards to see what people used to send.
Baseball cards might be the quintessential example of a trading card, but there are all types, like Magic the Gathering for instance. Like comic books, these fragile paper collectibles do best when they are kept in mint condition. Treat them how you would store a comic book, especially when you're dealing with a particularly rare example. Maybe not the one you stepped on in the middle of the night, but specific LEGOs are worth their weight in gold. For example, the 2010 mini-figure Jessie from Toy Story 2 in like-new condition is selling for around $10 on Bricklink.com. A LEGO Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Hogwarts Castle Set sold for $450.
However, some of the most coveted LEGOs are the missing parts from valued sets—like a window, steering wheel, or rare color brick—and can bring up to hundreds. Finding antique jewelry is a treat, and your item may be worth a lot more than you think. If a piece looks like it is made from a precious metal, check for tiny markings. For example, a silver brooch may have a "925" mark; a gold ring may have a "24K" stamp. It's important to get a professional opinion on fine jewelry, though, because many pieces are just gold or silver plated. Precious jewels should also be evaluated for authenticity and the quality of the stone.
These tiny dolls in their little compact worlds were wildly popular following their first appearance in stores in 1989. Until sales began to slip in 1998 and the company was purchased by Mattel, it was owned by the UK-based Bluebird Toys. Original sets manufactured by Bluebird Toys are the most valuable to collectors. Of course, they have to be in good shape and have all of their pieces intact — not an easy feat for such small accessories — to fetch a few hundred dollars online.
Some Barbie dolls can be worth thousands, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Most American kitchens would not be complete without a collection of Pyrex cookware. This versatile and hardworking brand has made it a household favorite for many decades and certain patterned pieces have become treasured and sought out by collectors. As with many of the items on this list, the value of vintage Pyrex is determined by a number of factors including, but not limited to age and rarity.
It was not uncommon for the Pyrex company to release a fixed number of prototypes into the market, which can now be quite difficult to track down. As with family photographs and documents, vintage postcards sent from faraway and exotic locations by travelers hundreds of years ago have a certain amount of appeal. Though most may only be worth a few dollars, some that are particularly old or interesting and still in good condition could be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The postmark date can give you some idea, but the postcard may have been in production for many years before it was purchased and sent. Look for tools in good shape with patina but no real damage and check the brand.
Toolboxes are also valuable with old wooden models selling for hundreds of dollars on eBay. Remember all those Pokémon cards that you probably folded up, stuck in your pocket, or traded away to friends when you were younger? Well complete sets of the standard cards can go for hundreds of dollars on eBay.
And single, ultra-rare cards can be well into the thousands—like the holograph Charizard that sold for $11,999. Of course they have to be graded and examined by experts to catch that price, but even a stack of the run-of-the-mill cards in mint condition can fetch a few bucks. There is a market for collectibles of any kind—even those dusty old toys and sickeningly retro Pyrex casserole dishes your grandmother used to warm up meatloaf in can bring in hundreds of dollars.
So to help you along, here are 15 old things in your house that could be worth a fortune. The plush collectable toys that were popular in the 1990s have massive resale value on sites like Ebay, especially if the tag is still attached and the item is in mint condition. While many are only worth a few dollars, some of the limited edition toys have sold for up to half a million dollars online.
For example, one of the original Beanie Babies—a lobster named Pinchers—sells for $35,000. When pegging the value of baseball cards, the general rule is that the older they are, the more they are worth. There are a lot of nuances that determine a card's worth though, so if you've come across a hoard of old cards, it's worth getting them appraised. Based on variables like condition, player, and year, a card can be sold online for thousands of dollars. As with comics, vintage toys from the 80s and 90s have seen a huge resurgence in popularity.
If you held onto your favorite toys after the various toy crazes subsided, they could fetch a good price, given they are in good condition. Action figures, Beanie Babies, Legos, Barbie dolls, and Hot Wheels are all hot-ticket items right now. As the king of all hobbies, most people know that rare stamps are worth a small fortune. With a quick Google search, you will find dozens of news stories of stamps that sold for millions of dollars. Although experts estimate that only 1% of stamps worldwide will appreciate over time, it is one of the safer options on the list of oddest collectibles to invest in 2021. Rumors of a new collection circulated among numismatic circles for years before coin dealer Ira Goldberg in 2017 notified the market of an extraordinary collection of coins from around the world.
