How Your Grandparent's Attic Could Be A Goldmine
Whether you're clearing out your grandparents' home after they've passed on or simply decluttering, there are so many vintage items worth big bucks that most people just throw away. Do some research before discarding anything that may have some value. You could be throwing out thousands of dollars worth of vintage valuables.
Video Game Consoles
Maybe you were lucky enough to have a video game console at home and Granny's house in the 1980s. In 2020, a Nintendo PlayStation prototype sold for $20,000 at auction, but you can expect to get a few hundred dollars for vintage video game consoles from the 1980s.
Julia Child's Cookbook
Before you could find cooking recipes online, your parents and grandparents used cookbooks to acquire their culinary skills. Julia Child, one of America's most famous chefs, created many home cooking cookbooks. Today, they're worth a great deal of money, with one, The Art of French Cooking, fetching upwards of $2,000.
FerEstrada, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Dual-Colored Quilts
If you had a favorite quilt whenever you stayed at Granny's house, chances are it is now worth a few hundred dollars, especially if it's in good condition. If you don't want to pass it on to the next generation, you could try selling it. Some single-color mixed-with-white quilts fetch between $150 and $450.
Nostalgic Concert Posters
Your parents and grandparents may have seen some pretty amazing musical acts throughout the years. Check and see if they've got a good-quality poster (preferably matted and framed) from one of their musical adventures of yesteryear. Headline acts will bring in the big bucks, but you could make anywhere from $100 to $25,000. One Beatles poster from 1966 sold for $137,000 at an auction in 2020.
Ronald Saunders, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Milton Bradley Board Games
In 1860, Milton Bradley launched the US version of the Game Of Life. It was a huge hit and led to Bradley crafting many more games, such as Chutes And Ladders or Game Of The States. If your grandparents had any of these old games and they're still in their box and in good condition, you could be sitting on a few hundred dollars worth of auction items.
Erchard07, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Super Bowl Memorabilia
If your grandfather was caught watching Super Bowl Sunday religiously, and you know he actually attended a Super Bowl Sunday game "back in the day," he may have held on to some Super Bowl memorabilia that fetches a decent price among collectors today—between $200 and $1000, depending on what type of memorabilia we're talking about.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Art Deco Clocks
If your grandparents were from a particular era—mostly the 1930s and 1940s—they probably had a small Art Deco clock on the fridge or wall. Most clocks are low-value, but if Telechron or Westclox made yours, you may be able to shift it for upwards of $1,000.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Picryl
Duck Decoys
Whether or not your grandfather used them for hunting or just as an ornamental piece, duck decoys became hugely popular throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Traditionally made of wood, the duck decoy you would toss could be worth more than half a million dollars.
Sarah Stierch, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Vintage Silverware
If your grandparents always ate at the table at Christmastime and busted out the fine China and silverware, then their sets may be worth something. The older and more complete a set is, the more money you'll get for it. Sets that are over 100 years old and are complete could fetch as much as $800.
Paul Revere, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Grandpa's Baseball Card Collection
If your grandparents were into collecting baseball cards, there's a chance that a vintage one or two made it into their hands over the years. If they've kept hold of it, you could be looking at a card collection worth thousands. A 1922 Mickey Mantle card for $12.6 million in 2022.
Beanie Babies
Perhaps you left some Beanie Babies at Grandma's house during visits in the 1990s and they just sat there, gathering dust—or maybe they were a Christmas gift from the grandparents to the wee one. If they've still got the tag on and are of limited edition, they could be worth hundreds.
RCA Radios
RCA Radios were founded in 1919 by General Electric. The Radio Corporation of America was born and crafted the RCA Victor in 1929, propelling RCA radios to American superstardom. Now a huge collector's item if in good condition, your grandma's old RCA might fetch as much as $4,000 at auction.
Wojciech Pysz, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
American Girl Dolls
Created in the 1980s by Pleasant Company, American Girl Dolls are now worth a pretty penny, particularly if one of the ones that Grandma still happens to be named Samantha. That OG doll could go for between $600 and $3,300.
Jeff Sandquist, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Hubley Cast Iron Doorstops
If you accidentally stubbed your toe on one of these doorsteps, you'd know it right away. Cast from molten scrap iron cast into a mold, look for the "HUBLEY" print on the back, or a three-digit number. Some are worth a few dollars, but one recently sold for $11,000! Watch your feet.
Chris Hearn, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Comic Books
If you read some yellowed comics as a kid while staying over at your grandparents, you may have been reading what would today be worth a few thousand dollars. The rarer the copy, the more money they're worth.
Cereal Boxes
We all forget that we've already bought that box of cookies or that block of cheese, and so they sit in our cupboards and fridges for weeks and months. But if that cereal box happened to be, say, a few decades old and left unopened at the back of Granddad's cupboards, you could be looking at a $100 piece of cardboard.
Lionel Train Sets
If your parents had a train set in the attic as a kid, it might still be there in a box! If so, you could be looking at a value of up to $500, depending on age and condition. Lionel train sets were invented by Joshua Lionel Cowen in 1900.
Zachary578, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Vintage Advertising Signs
Back in the day, Coca-Cola had to advertise their wares on posters and placards outside gas stations. If your grandparents collected one of these bad boys as a memento from a vacation somewhere, you could be sitting on something worth thousands of dollars. Anything with the original Coca-Cola branding could fetch up to $15,000.
Boy Scout Collectible Items
If your grandfather or father were once Boy Scouts, their old uniforms, caps, badges, or other collectible items may well have been kept by your grandparents. Those collectible items may now be worth some big bucks—up to $2,000, in the recent case of a first edition Boy Scout Handbook.
Royal Typewriters
Typewriters were the thing that your grandparents learned to type on. But these Royal typewriters were the cream of the crop: portable, affordable, and introduced in 1926, Royal typewriters set the standard back in the day and they're worth big money now. Even with visible signs of wear and tear, you're looking at around $400.
Guitars
If your grandfather or grandmother were musicians and have kept their old guitars from the 1960s, you could be looking at a few thousand dollars worth of musical instruments. If you're not musically-inclined yourself, a vintage Martin or Fender could fetch up to $30,000.
Mavila2, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Vintage Lamps
Maybe that vintage Tiffany lamp on the bedside table just doesn't fit with your new home decor. If so, don't fret and definitely don't throw it out. Certain brands like Tiffany, Pairpoint, Fulper, or Handel could net you up to $45,000!
Hemant Bedekar, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Perfume Bottles
Grandma's old perfume bottles from the 19th century might be worth a pretty penny today. Unlike the modern bottles, these were often glass blown with ornate designs and distribution systems. They were works of art in their own right and could be worth $1,000 or more.
Wikipedia Loves Art participant veronikab, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Postcards
Depending on the condition of the postcard, as well as how old it is, your grandparents' (or great-grandparents') old communications could be worth tens of thousands. And to think: Now we just send an email or Facebook message and it arrives instantaneously. We've definitely lost something with modern technology.
Valentina Perfilyeva, Shutterstock
Old Hand Tools
In the days before power tools, everything was obviously done by hand. Your grandparents' old shed might be filled with vintage hand tools that are worth as much as $3,000.
VHS Tapes
While the days of the VCR are long gone, old VHS tapes can still fetch a pretty penny, even disliked or banned movies, like Disney's Song Of The South (1946). Tapes of this kind could fetch up to $50,000.
Taner Muhlis Karaguzel, Shutterstock
Soda Crates
Old soda crates may have doubled as boxes and storage containers, but back in the early 20th century, they were used to carry soda that was hand-delivered, back when the soda industry was just getting started. Back then, soda came in glass bottles!
Dollhouses
Perhaps your grandmother kept a single dollhouse from her childhood. Well, depending on the model, that could now be worth thousands of dollars. Generally, the larger the dollhouse, the more money you'll get for it.
Violet-Colored Mason Jars
There's a reason why you only see clear mason jars nowadays—we realized that adding manganese to the jars wasn't good for the preservatives we used to store in them. Manganese toxicity was very rare, but it could result in permanent neurological damage. Still, the violet, blue, or green-colored jars from the early 20th century might be worth $500!
The Stetson Hat
Created in 1865 by John Batterson Stetson, if your grandpa owned a Stetson hat, complete with brown leather case, it could fetch as much as $1,000. Vintage Stetson's often start at around $100, without the case.
Hand-Blown Glass Milk Eggs
In Victorian times, these small glass milks eggs were hand-blown and then sold blank, so that people could embellish them with whatever they wanted. Frequently purchased around Easter and Christmas, your grandparents might still have theirs, or their parents' eggs. A full set of these could be worth almost $800.
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Record
If your grandparents were fans of The Beatles, then Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club record from 1967 surely found its way into their collection. If you've stumbled across one, treat it with great care—you could be looking at a roughly $250 payday. Although one did sell at auction for $290,000.
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