People are ready to pay thousands for these 10 old items in your house — do you have them?
Treasures Hiding in Your Basement and Attic
As seen on TV shows such as "Antiques Roadshow" and "Pawn Stars" as well as reports of rare artifacts bagged by thrifters, items as ordinary as a doorstop in the house could turn out to be precious. This includes hand-me-downs, old toys, discarded old electronics, or Pokemon cards that collectors may be looking for. As the market for collectibles is growing, here are 10 precious items that could be found in your home.
1. David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs LP
The value of David Bowie’s 1974 Diamond Dogs album on vinyl is based on a very strange story of the album artwork. The original image had an illustration of Bowie with his bottom half replaced by a dog's genitals. Few original copies of that version exist and back in 2004 one such copy was sold for $3550. Hence if you have one of these, then you're bound to get lucky.
2. Polly Pocket Toys and Accessories
The Polly Pocket was wildly popular among kids back in the '90 and now the lineup of toys has found its way to eBay as a high-priced collector's item. If you are lucky you may be able to net three or even four figures for a rare set in good condition. The collectibles site WorthPoint notes that a variety of Polly Pocket toys have been sold for $500 to $1,000.
3. Retro Video Games
Old video games are a lucrative asset because of the booming market for retro video games. Vintage titles have never been more valuable or sought after, but it's important to note that when it comes to selling retro video games to collectors, the condition dictates the value. If you do have a video game from the past in mint condition then it's bound to fetch you a lot of money. For example, an original GameBoy fetched a price of $1000 from a collector.
4. Boy Scout Memorabilia
All the badges and other medals that you had in your possession while growing up can get you a decent amount of money in today's day and age. They are pretty popular among collectors and can fetch somewhere around $300 for each of these items.
5. Pokemon Cards
This is probably a popular collectible item that you may already know of. A complete set of standard cards can reportedly go for hundreds of dollars on eBay. Additionally, single, ultra-rare cards can also sell for thousands. A holograph Charizard card was once sold for a whopping $11,999 at an auction. So, if you have any of these then you have a chance to make a decent amount of money.
6. Original Kenner Star Wars Figures
When the original Star Wars movie hit theatres, there were no toys ready for the premiere. After the movie became a hit, Kenner rushed to produce a proper line of action figures. These toys flew off the shelves and became all the rage, especially the ones from the '70 and '80s. A 1978 Luke Skywalker toy—the one with the double lightsaber—was sold at an auction for $25,000. In addition to that, there are vintage Boba Fett toys selling for around $2500 and obscure, pre-Hayden Christensen Anakin Skywalkers going for up to $3000.
7. China Sets
China sets can be extremely valuable depending on the collection, and chances are that your house really does have a china set stacked in a cabinet. If you want to sell them then you must do your research. The value depends on the collection and the type of the ceramic. In a recent report, even broken China stored in a box was sold for $200,000.
8. Vintage Lunchboxes
The basic rules for vintage collectibles apply to old lunch boxes as well. The rarer, the better. Lunch-boxes were popular from the 1950s through the 1970s thanks to pop culture and TV shows. While the price for these is in the mid-three figure range, some rare pieces have even been auctioned for more than $1 million.
9. American Girl Dolls
These dolls from 1986 are a popular collector's item now with a doll called Samantha having fetched as much as $4200 on eBay. The price of these dolls is decided based on outfits and accessories and other dolls have been known to go for around $2800. Even dolls out of their original packaging can get a listing for hundreds of dollars as per Mental Floss.
10. Vintage figures like G.I. Joe and He-man
He-Man and G.I Joe toys were among the "big three" for many kids growing up. With action figures being all the rage, there's a chance that the old action figures can be of interest to many collectors. For example, a Dreadnok Thunder Machine from G.I Joe was recently sold for more than $495, and another figure, from the Masters of the Universe Eternia playset has sold for several hundred dollars.
