![30+ Valuable Old Items You Have In Your Attic That Are Worth Thousands]([["default","https:\/\/posts-cdn.kueez.net\/GjqjSFGOgjHhj2p4\/image-dYxxeQrk0d9dTwQm.png"]])
Are you one of those people who has a random collection of unused items lying around somewhere in your house? You've probably been reminding yourself that one day you'll sort through it and take the majority of it to the curb - but take a second to read this before you do. It turns out that there are people out there who are willing to pay a HUGE sum in order to get their hands on things that you might consider worthless. So take a second to read through this list, because your pile of stuff might just be worth more than you ever dreamed!
1. Game Boys
The late '80s and early '90s saw the “game-boy” craze! Little boys and girls begged their parents to buy them to buy the newest one so they could show-off to, and play with, their friends. The must-have toy could be found around an astounding number of households back in the day, but eventually ended up lost in a dusty place when newer and better gaming systems came out.
The great news is that because of how rare but classic these Game Boy consoles are today, gaming stores may purchase and resell them for a price between $750 to $2,000.
2. An Old Cookie Jar
Cookie jars are worth some serious bucks these days, especially if you own some of the most antique ones. Cookie jars that were sold during the '40s and '50s could be incredible money-makers these days, as PBS’ Antiques Roadshow appraiser, Reyne Hirsch, proved to the entire world.
According to the appraiser, a cookie jar from the 1950s Uncle Mistletoe Marshall Fields brand was selling at $1,200 in 2018. Other jars, usually those in the shape of any popular cartoon figures, can also sell for a crazy amount of money. For example, a Little Audrey cookie jar was recently selling for $3,400 on eBay.
3. Vintage Perfume Bottles
When it comes to perfume, there are some vintage bottles that could sell for so much more money than the top-notch brands we see being released every day. In the 19th century, for example, glassblowers from all over the world would turn bottles of perfume into art, which is worth thousands today.
In August 2019, one could find these '90s bottles selling on eBay for almost $400... I mean what?! But that’s not all. Bottles that dated as far back as the 18th century was selling at more than double that price. According to roadshow appraiser Eric Silver, one could even sell these at real-life auctions for big bucks, especially in auctions that are especially dedicated to perfume bottles.
4. VHS Tapes
Ah, the nostalgia! No matter how much time passes, and how much Netflix & Chill we have access to, nothing will bring back the magic of choosing our favorite VHS tape to watch with the family. Those who were lucky enough will remember that wonderful VHS collection that at some point began collecting dust in the house. But not everyone threw them away.
Some of us still have some cool VHS tapes stored, and many of them could be worth so much money. Collectors will pay a whopping $1.5 million for volumes 1, 2, and 3 of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck tapes. Also, movies that were never adapted to DVD or digital, especially horror movies, are apparently the ones worth the most today.
5. Vintage Band T-Shirts
Vintage band tees are probably the best representation of some of the most important moments in the history of music. And, lucky for us, today they are worth dumbfounding amounts of money! For instance, if you were to sell a Nirvana In Utero tour t-shirt (which only team members had access to), you could sell it for nearly $7,000.
But this is nothing compared to The Beatle's banned “Yesterday and Today” album cover from 1966. Only the most dedicated fans will know that this cover even existed, making it more valuable. The cover features the iconic artists dressed as butchers holding doll parts, and in 2011, it was put on eBay for sale for as much as $20,000.
6. Kugel Christmas Ornaments
There are two things that people do when they get Christmas ornaments as gifts, they either store them away in a box or hang them on the same tree for years. Either way, hopefully they keep it since they could be about to make some pretty big bucks. According to antique appraiser, Eric Silver, a few vintage sleds could be worth a couple of hundred dollars when sold today.
Blown-glass ornaments, on the other hand, could be worth about $1,700. But we’re just warming up! The real deal are the Kugel ornaments that used to be made in Germany between 1840 and the early 1940s. If you have some of these items lying around, you could possibly sell them for up to $18,000!
7. Antique Lunch Boxes
It seems like vintage accessories that were specifically used for school back in the days are the real moneymakers today. Whatever they are decorated with basically determines how much they're worth. Depending on whether the box has a rock band or a cartoon character, box collectors could pay an absurd amount of money for it.
Big collectors such as Thad Reece would pay about 10,000 times more than what they were worth back in the days. According to Fox News, a 1963 Jetsons lunch box could be sold for over $2,200! Even more, the owner of the biggest lunch box museum worldwide, Allen Woodall, has said that a 1954 Superman lunchbox can sell up to $13,000.
8. Pokémon Cards
This one might not necessarily come as a surprise to many, but those former Pokémon card-trading enthusiasts are in for a treat. In fact, there is a very good chance that card-traders who decided to throw away or to trade some of their rarest pokemon cards might have lost one of the easiest money-making opportunities these days.
Run-of-the-mill Pokémon cards can sell for several hundred dollars on eBay. A recent example of this is how one seller managed to sell the 1999 first edition of the Charizard set for $12,499.99. But if you really want to have your mind blown, then just get this: a 2001 Tropical Wind Trophy PSA 9 Mint card was recently listed for $500,000 on eBay.
9. Vintage Advertising Signs
Remember those days when, instead of being showered with internet and tv ads, we used to consume ads through signs hung up outside restaurants, bars, and shops? Well, if you are from those days, then you most probably still have some of these hanging around your attic. As it turns out, a vintage coca-cola ad was recently sold on eBay for $5,700.
Depending on the brand, the condition, and how antique the sign is, these vintage items can be sold for up to four figures! in conclusion, if you didn't think it was worth it to dig in and figure out whether or not you have one of these, then these unbelievable figures should be enough of an incentive.
10. First Generation Apple iPod
While Apple products may be relatively new in compassion to other items on this list, the oldest generations of Apple products are still worth a ton of money today. Those that were particularly built by Steve Jobs himself are even more valuable, as you can probably imagine. Judging by the craze around these products when they were released, we're guessing that many of us still have one or two stored somewhere.
So before you decide to throw away all of your Apple products take a look at these numbers. In 2019, an eBay user managed to sell a first-generation Apple iPod for almost $2,200, and all he had to do was dig into his closet. Other first-generation Apple products could be sold for a much higher price, as some have been listed for up to $25,999 in the past.
11. Old CDs
How crazy is it to think that for music lovers, CDs were once “the item” to have, while today they are thought of as nothing but ancient fossils? Well, they’re apparently not as useless today as some of us might think.
According to some sources, Coldplay’s 1998 "Safety EP" and Michael Jackson’s 1993 signature series track are worth around $1,500 today. More surprisingly, when a street artist decided to replace 500 copies of Paris Hilton’s debut CD with an added mashup and a redesigned sleeve he managed to sell for a crazy number. The album that once cost $3,000 back in 2013, was listed on eBay for $12,134 in 2019.
12. Boy Scout Badges
Parents who were lucky enough to hold onto their sons’ boy scout badges back in the days of Boy Scouts of America, could be in the running for some serious money today. And while this may not be the first thing you think of to be extremely valuable, then this might make you think differently. Collector Weekly claims that some of these badges could be sold for nearly $1,178 back in 2018.
Specifically, a boy scout sash with 18 patches from sometime between the 1930s-1940s could be sold for around $4,500 on eBay.
13. Old Coins
While many of us may fall into the tiny mistake of thinking that coins are not as valuable as their dollar bill counterparts, then this might help change your mind! Old coins that you might have buried somewhere or tucked away in old pants’ pockets could be worth a ton of money today.
For instance, an antique dealer at Rare Collectibles in Pennsylvania uncovered a bunch of 200-year-old coins back in 2007 that were worth a whopping $200,000. But the coins don’t have to be that ancient for them to be worth the big bucks. Back in 2005, a special Kansas state quarter with the misspelled words “In God We Rust” was worth nearly $100 a coin.
14. Weather Vanes
Did you ever think about David Bowie’s song “When the Wind Blows” whenever you found yourself thinking of weather vanes? If not, it’s all good, we were just checking! The thing is though, that weather vanes (the metal ornaments that used to sit atop houses and barns in order to detect the direction of the wind) are worth so much money these days.
The 19th century ornate can go for anywhere between $5000 and $7,000 on eBay today. Back in 2006, a Native American weather vane actually sold for $5.84 million at a Sotheby’s auction, and surely made holding on to it for so many years worth it.
15. Polly Pocket Toys
Amongst many things, one of the noteworthy items that the '90s brought was the Polly Pocket Craze. The high-inch toys quickly became a staple in many households, as kids could spend hours playing with them, and sometimes destroying them. In case you have been able to hold on to these unusual toys, today you can sell them online for a pretty decent price.
Larger full sets of the toys were introduced to eBay as a collector’s item that can go for $1900. Polly related items are also worth some money, in case you have some of those too. For example, in 2019, a Polly pocket pencil case sold for $810.
16. Costume Jewelry
It turns out that bug diamonds are not the only money makers out there! Before you store away your granny’s old statement necklaces, think about the possibility of getting some of them appraised. Antique costume jewelry can be easily worth thousands of dollars today. For instance, Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli’s 1920s bracelet seemingly sells for a staggering $2,000 in auctions.
On eBay, vintage jewelry sets can sell for over $5000, but early 1900s chunky bangles and necklaces made from resin are the big bucks. One of these can be auctioned for more than $16,000 today. So if you are able to put aside the sentimental value of some of these, get ready to make thousands.
17. Tiffany Lamps
It used to be common for a Tiffany lamp to be passed down generations, with so many people feeling stuck with the antique in the house. But well, according to Invaluable, which is one of the largest online marketplaces in the world, the decorative item can be worth between $4,000 and $1 million.
According to the company, most people searching for these items look for those with floral motifs and vibrant colors, but other types could also do the job. No matter what, it's worth looking around for them.
18. China Sets
This is an easy one. Almost every one of us has some sort of old fancy dinnerware stored in the kitchen cabinet somewhere, waiting for that “special opportunity” to use them again. So, what if we told you that the “opportunity” may not be to use it, but to make the big bucks instead?
These porcelain antiques were particularly popular around the end of the 18th century when English artists began creating white and blue hand-painted ceramic ware inspired by China. Though there are many fake models nowadays, an original one can sell on eBay for more than $5,000.
19. Cuckoo Clocks
Cuckoo Clocks originated from Germany during the 1730s and, for some time, they were one of those items that we would always associate with grandma's house.
People who are lucky enough to still have some of these stored somewhere would be happy to hear that the timeless time-tellers were selling for over $2,000 on eBay in 2019. That’s right, both on eBay and in flea markets, people could make a good chunk of change selling these.
20. Old Stamps
Collecting stamps has been a thing for centuries, and some of us may easily have some of these stored in a cupboard somewhere due to their sentimental value. If you do, you should know that there are a good number of people out there willing to pay a good sum of money for some of these.
Towards the end of 2019, vintage stamp collections were selling for almost $90,000 on eBay - yikes! Some of the most unique ones even sold for hundreds of thousands, depending on their conditions and where they were from.
21. A Rocking Chair
Rocking chairs originated way back in the 1700s and, to this date, the piece of furniture can still be found in some households. For those who still have those, we’ve got some great news for you!
According to eBay records, even the smallest rocking chairs that were made anywhere between the 1950s and 1970s could sell for almost $5,000 nowadays. Though the antique piece of furniture undeniably makes for a beautiful vintage addition to a home, how about making some big bucks instead?
22. Boom Boxes
Kids nowadays hardly know what the legendary boom box once was. The portable music players were the “it thing” for '80s youngsters who wanted to listen to personalized music. They also set the stage for portable CD players and cassettes, making the perfect item for music lovers.
Believe it or not, the value of boomboxes has risen exponentially over the years, mostly due to the hipster trend around vintage goods. In 2019, for instance, a Sharp GF-999 Stereo Boombox was selling for $3,000 on eBay, while a 1988 VTG 2 Lasonic TRC-975 Ghetto Blaster Boombox was sold for $8,250.
23. Trunks
It’s hard to believe, but a trunk may be much more valuable than any of us could ever think. Martha Dixey, an antiques and collectible specialist, once claimed that trunks that date back to the 1870s are valued at $700 today. Doesn't that just completely change the way we used to look at that vintage trunk lost somewhere in the attic?
Specifically, 100-year-old trunks that were made sturdy enough to survive wagon travel are still worth the most. If the trunk happens to have a nice design, then it could be worth thousands of dollars.
24. Typewriters
Typewriters have continuously been a part of the hipster craze over the years, but back in the day they were an important item for writing almost anything. These days, thanks to their increased value, the relics of the past are basically a gold mine.
An antique shop called Branford House Antiques has actually reported that they have managed to sell a Hooven Automatic Typewriter for a remarkable $7,500 in 2018. The Malling-Hansen Writing Ball, which is basically considered the Rolls Royce of typewriters, is worth about $100,000.
25. Signed Yearbooks
While it may seem incredibly random, high school yearbooks could be worth a remarkable amount of money these days, depending on how far back they go. The items with arguably some of the most embarrassing portraits ever are sold for tons of money online today.
So if your parents or your grandparents happened to be in a school that has since distinguished itself, then their yearbooks may have a price tag of $10,500. And of course, if a famous person happened to be a part of the class and is included in these yearbooks, then you are looking at a much bigger number.
26. Vintage Comics
Chances are, that some of the vintage comics you had as a kid are amongst some of the most valuable antique items nowadays. As we can easily see from the blockbuster films that dominate Hollywood, comic book heroes are and will probably always be the rage. So, depending on the date of the comic book and how many of them were printed back then, you could earn thousands of dollars with one of these collectibles.
To give you a better idea, The Incredible Hulk comic was sold for a staggering $320,000 at an auction in 2014. And of course, if there is a specific superhero movie about to come out and you happen to own a comic about it, then your chances of earning some big bucks are even higher.
27. Original Star Wars Toys
Star Wars is a film that has been and will always be a classic especially the original trilogy which is universally loved. So, of course, everything Star Wars related, including toys, was a total must-have for decades.
In fact, the original Star Wars toys that were released with the Star Wars trilogy are worth so much money today, it’s simply unbelievable! For example, the original Luke Skywalker toy is worth some $25,000, and the original Millennium Falcon ship could be worth more than $3,000 today.
28. American Girl Dolls
Girls (and boys) who grew up in the '80s and '90s decade are in for a treat with this one. If you ever read the American Girls series released at the time then you got to explore several periods of history through the adventurous eyes of a little girl. Those who were big fans of the item probably bought the accompanying accessories that came with it, which are now worth a ton of money!
The doll of Samantha, one of its iconic characters, was recently sold on eBay for $4,200. Other characters are also worth thousands of dollars, and even if they are no longer in their original packaging, some people are willing to pay some good hundreds for it.
29. Air Jordans
Air Jordans are one of those brands that were super popular when they came out and managed to remain one of the most sought-after kicks in history. Though the old-school Air Jordans may have been stashed somewhere in the attic, you might want to think about grabbing them right now.
Not too long ago, an online buyer paid some $18,257 for a pair of Jordan 11 sneakers with the stylings of Derek Jeter. But there’s more! Several other versions have continued to sell for more than $20,000! So seriously, it’s time to dust off those sneakers and thank Michael Jordan for his wonderful existence!
30. Video Games
Our video games have so much history to them. We once knew exactly how to blow the dust at a specific angle in order to make them work again, and memories of playing them on weekends comprise a large portion of our childhood memories. But then the future came, and we tossed them to a forgotten corner.
Well, the good news just keeps on coming doesn't it folks?! It turns out that those old PlayStation and Nintendo cartridges are worth a lot of money. The old cartridge for the incredible Mario Kart 64 could earn you hundreds of dollars, and other consoles such as Super Nintendo and Playstation 4 consoles can sell for more than $1000.
31. Old Cell Phones
No jokes, how many of us have our old cell phones forgotten in a drawer somewhere? Some of them are completely dead, but some actually work, and you’ve just decided to upgrade it a little bit (we don’t blame you, cell phone companies make sure that this is the course of life). The good thing is that while some of these phones may be somewhat worthless, a good number of them could attract some feisty buyers.
Brands and phones that were specifically made back when cellphones were still a new item in town, can be worth hundreds of dollars. In 2014, someone bought a 1983 Motorola DynaTAC 8000X for $550, which is literally the same price as some new phones nowadays.
32. Antique Guitars
Do you have any older family members who were musicians, or perhaps, guitar lovers? If yes, your household may still have a couple of antique guitars stored somewhere. If they are willing to say goodbye to one or two of them, they (and you) could stand a chance to earn some really good money.
In fact, back in 2014, a 1954 Gibson ES-175 was sold for $5,500. An even older guitar, the 1953 Fender Telecaster was valued at more than $10,000. So as we've learned from this list, the older they are, the more valuable the guitars will be (depending on other small details, of course).
33. Happy Meal Toys
There may be no plausible explanation, but those little Happy Meal toys from McDonald’s have contributed to so many of us becoming hoarders of miniature things. Whatever the reason was though, if by any chance you ended up hoarding them as you grew up, then you might be lucky enough to make some money out of your childhood collection.
You might be unaware of the fact that there are entire communities online that are ready to give you their money for a few of these small items. While it may seem a little bit absurd to some, rare Happy Meal Toys could be sold online for as much as $500. While a set of the 1987 Potato Head kids could be traded for $100, the 1995 inspector Gadget could be sold for approximately $350.
34. Flip Clock Radios
You might have experienced them in real-time, you might have heard of them, or might have even spotted a Flip Clock here and there in '80s movies. We're talking about those cool clocks where the numbers flip up and down as the time changes, making it one of the coolest and most vintage clocks ever.
So, the million-dollar question is, do you happen to have them forgotten somewhere in your household? Because apparently, collectors from all over the world are extremely interested in these devices for some reason. For instance, flip clock radios from Panasonic have been previously sold at auctions for $300. Since it is unlikely that anyone is still using one of these, best to make some money out of it!
35. White Furby
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Furby toys were great, but something about the fact that they learned, talked, and wiggled kind of resemble a toy that is a little bit possessed by an evil spirit. Putting that aside though, the '90s rage around these was huge, either for kids themselves or for people who had kids.
It was simply impossible to go anywhere without spotting one of these toys. The white variation of the Furby toys in specific was a really rare one. And because of how special it is, the white Furby continued to gain value with the years and can sell for around $800 these days.
