Do you have an eye for what’s junk and what items could be treasure? If you have an eye for treasure, then you could score big at a garage sale or flea market, picking up an antique for $5 and selling it at auction for $500. Most of the items on this list are things you would find stowed away at your grandma’s house, and might seriously surprise you how much they’re worth.
So you might want to hold off on any spring cleaning until you’ve gone through this list to make sure you’re not sitting on an antique goldmine!
17. Selling at $100 – The Quarter
Not just any quarter will get you $100 richer. Apparently, in 2005 there was a mishap with a machine producing quarters in the state of Kansas. The machine forgot the “T” in “In God We Trust” and instead printed on several hundred quarters, “In God We Rust”.
Coin fanatics around the United States are willing to pay 400 times more than the quarter’s actual worth to get their hands on one of these rare, misprinted coins – shelling out $100 for just one quarter. They are most likely assuming that in 50 years time, the coins will become even more rare, and hence, more valuable. Only time will tell.
16. Selling at $130 – Vintage Record Player
Record players aren’t just a thing of the past; they continue to be sought after by many music lovers today. Many argue that the digital technology widely used to listen to music can’t be compared to the sound of a record player. These vinyl lovers prefer the sound quality and the feeling of nostalgia they get when they carefully place a vinyl record on the turntable. It’s an experience you can’t get from simply pressing “play” on an iPhone.
If there’s an old record player stored away at your parent’s house, dig it up and put a record on to see what all the rage is about. Or you could try and sell it. Depending on the quality, you can get around $130 for it.
15. Selling at $200 – Coca-Cola Crates
There’s nothing like a refreshing sip of Coke, especially out of a glass bottle. For many in the older generation, a sip out of a glass bottle can take them back to the days of their youth when times were simple. Not only the glass bottles are sentimental items, but also the wooden crates the bottles used to be transported in are beloved keepsakes.
Would you believe these vintage wooden crates are being auctioned off for hundreds of dollars? According to the Coca Cola Crate Price Guide, a wooden coke crate from 1948 in good condition sells for $200; the same crate in excellent condition is worth $450.
14. Selling at $250 – Cereal Boxes
Does your grandma by any chance have some old cereal boxes stored away in her basement? Better yet, are there any that are unopened with a toy still inside? If yes, then you may have just hit the jackpot!
There is a whole niche of people online who are enthusiastic about collecting cereal boxes from their youth. Tracking down a Christmas edition Cap’n Crunch box that they remember eating as a kid in 1988, or a box of Super Crisp cereal from 1975 with a poster of Frankenstein inside – people are absolutely serious about hunting down these classics. Fueled powerfully by nostalgia, people will pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars for a rare box of cereal.
13. Selling at $450 – Polly Pockets
This is not a drill – your old Polly Pockets from the 1990’s can pay for your next vacation! For those with Polly Pockets manufactured by the company Bluebird Toys (the original manufacturer), you could receive a profit of hundreds of dollars. There are currently Polly Pocket sets on Ebay selling between $220 to $600.
Why the sudden craze with Polly Pockets in the world of collectors? Mostly nostalgia. Mattel started manufacturing Polly Pockets again in 2018, but true enthusiasts agree that they just don’t make them like they used to. The new model can’t beat the vintage version of Polly and her friends.
12. Selling at $500 – Antique Sewing Machine
The invention of the sewing machine was a revolutionary development in the production of clothing and other fabrics for the home, such as blankets, quilts, and curtains. While women in the home could spend weeks stitching clothing by hand, it could now be done in a matter of hours with a sewing machine. Sewing machines became mass produced in the mid 1800’s, and would eventually make their way to almost every home by the early 1900’s.
Not every antique sewing machine is worth a lot of money. Collectors are after the oldest and rarest. For example, a Grover and Baker portable sewing machine from 1854-1870 would make you a profit of $500 to $2,000 depending on the condition.
11. Selling at $600 – Vintage Typewriter
Another hot auction category is typewriters. Both vintage typewriters (circa 1950) and antique typewriters (early 1900’s) are sought after items, depending on the buyer’s taste. The antique typewriters are purchased by collectors, where vintage typewriters are usually purchased by people who still want to use them.
Typewriters with the most value date back to the early 1900’s, and the better condition they’re in, the higher price tag they can have. For example, an antique 1934 Smith Corona typewriter in good condition can be auctioned off for as high as $2,000. But even vintage typewriters from circa 1950 hold a high value, ranging anywhere from $200 to $600.
Time to dust off that old typewriter and put it up on Ebay!
10. Selling at $1,000 – Vintage Perfume Bottles
For centuries, even back to the days of Ancient Egypt, perfume has been a symbol of status, wealth, and beauty. In the past, when luxury and elegance were at a much higher standard than they are today, the glass bottles were just as important as the perfume itself. Much care and consideration was poured into beautifully designing the bottles that contained their treasured scents.
Knowing this, it’s not surprising that many people admire and appreciate vintage perfume bottles as works of art. Depending on the age and intricacy of design, a vintage perfume bottle could easily be sold at auction for $1,000, if not more.
9. Selling at $1,800 – American Girl Dolls
American Girl dolls were all the rage in the 1980’s and 90’s. Because of their high price point, special packaging, and unique outfits and accessories, every girl who had one of these dolls knew they had something incredibly special.
Amazingly, these vintage dolls from 30 years ago still hold their value and in some cases, much more. For those dolls in their original packaging and in excellent condition, you can expect a profit of anywhere between $300 – $2,000. The higher end of that scale depends on how rare the doll is and if you still have all the outfits and accessories that go with it.
8. Selling at $2,000 – Antique Dollhouses
When you think of the word “dollhouse” you probably think of a toy house that kids play with. However, these antique dollhouses selling for $2,000 are not meant to be played with, and definitely not for kids. These dollhouses are miniature homes, with every detail carried out painstakingly to perfection.
Dollhouses from the mid 19th century with a Victorian style are some of the most popular, but some of the most expensive are French and German made dollhouses from the late 1800’s. The furniture, decorations, and kitchens all hold incredible value in the world of antiques. For example, just one miniature wooden cabinet made in Germany in 1860 is listed for $400.
7. Selling at $3,500 – Star Wars on VHS
VHS tapes are a thing of the past and most of us would consider them trash instead of treasure. But before you chuck them in the dumpster, do yourself a favor by dusting off your collection and checking if you’ve got any valuable ones in there!
While hundreds of Star Wars VHS tapes are posted online for sale, the vast majority are from the 1990’s. To find one from the early 1980’s is a rare find and of much higher value. This vintage 1983 edition of Star Wars still wrapped in plastic recently sold on Ebay for $3,500.
6. Selling at $10,000 – First Edition Barbie
Every girl remembers her first Barbie doll, but to have the one of the very first Barbie dolls ever made – that’s pretty special. Not only would you have a rare treasure, you’d also be sitting on a value of over ten grand!
So what are the conditions on cashing in $10,000? The doll should be well preserved and in excellent condition. Should you happen to still have the original box it came in, the value can go even higher. In fact, a mint condition first edition Barbie in the original box sold recently at auction for a staggering $27,450!
5. Selling at $27,000 – Louis Vuitton Suitcase
Louis Vuitton is a timeless, luxury brand founded back in 1854. With a target audience of wealthy travelers, Louis Vuitton began with manufacturing leather suitcase trunks with its signature LV monogram which has never gone out of style.
If your grandparents by any chance have one of these trunks from the mid to late 1800’s, or even the early 1900’s sitting up in their attic, then you could be one online advertisement away from being $27,000 richer, maybe even more! These trunks are ranging anywhere from $18,000 to $40,000 online, depending on the year they were made and what condition they’re in.
4. Selling at $400,000 – First Edition Novels
Are you a fan of classic literature? Classic books that left deep impressions on humankind and helped changed the course of history are ones that will never lose their honor, value, and popularity. Authors such as Mark Twain, Harper Lee, and Ernest Hemingway not only wrote rich, compelling literature, but also left their mark on American culture and history.
First edition books that have a combination of rarity and demand are the ones with the highest price tags. A copy of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald with a dust jacket in perfect condition is worth as much as $400,000. That’s quite a high profit considering the book was only $2 when it was published in 1925.
3. Selling at $905,000 – The Apple-1 Computer
When Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak put their first ever Apple computer out on the market in 1976, they couldn’t have known the tremendous impact it would have on computer science, technology, and American culture. Now, the Apple-1 is an admired historical artifact that changed the course of history.
Originally sold in 1976 for $666.66 each, a rare Apple-1 in working order recently sold at auction for a staggering $905,000. Only 15 Apple-1 computers exist in working order, making it an extremely rare (and extremely valuable) possession. Even ones that are not in working order are highly sought after by vintage computer collectors, and will sell anywhere between $175,000 to $475,000 depending on their condition.
2. Selling at $1 Million – Antique Lamp from Tiffany & Co.
Did you know that Tiffany & Co. first started out as a glass studio? Before diamonds and jewelry, Louis Comfort Tiffany began designing stained glass in 1902 under the company Tiffany Studios. The company’s handcrafted stained glass lamps were overwhelmingly the most popular. Combining nature into the designs such as trees, flowers, and dragonflies made the table lamps unique for their time, and remain greatly admired today.
Tiffany lamps are sought after by glass art collectors who will pay large sums of money for one of these original table lamps. A rare design in excellent condition will sell at auction for upwards of a million dollars.
1. Selling at $3.12 Million – Rare Baseball Cards
Welcome to the world of baseball card collecting – an American pastime hobby that is still alive and active today. Baseball cards first started appearing in 1860 and were collected and traded ever since. Selling and trading cards became a booming business in the 1970’s and 80’s when vintage cards started becoming valuable.
Amazingly, the hobby has continued throughout the decades, and vintage baseball cards continue to go up in value, depending on their rarity and demand. The world record for the most expensive baseball card ever sold is the T206 Honus Wagner card, produced in 1909-1911, which was sold for an unprecedented $3.12 million in 2016. What a home run!
