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10 SURPRISINGLY VALUABLE COLLECTIBLES HIDING IN YOUR HOME


DON'T OVERLOOK THESE ITEMS WHEN YOU'RE CLEANING OUT YOUR ATTIC, GARAGE OR
BASEMENT

by John Waggoner, AARP, Updated August 4, 2023





Getty Images

En español | If you're cleaning out your closets this summer, you might wonder
why you kept your copy of The Beatles (known as the White Album since its
release in 1968). And if your copy is scratched, with Cheez-Its mashed between
the double covers, well, you have reason to wonder.

On the other hand, if you have a copy in excellent condition, you could get
$240, depending on the shape it’s in and whether it includes the poster of all
four Beatles. And if you somehow have the first copy of the album pressed,
formerly owned by Ringo Starr, you could probably get at least $790,000 — which
is what Ringo got for it in 2015.

Of course, you never know whether something is valuable until you research it. A
Raleigh, North Carolina, collector looked in an old lunch box that had been
passed down from his great-uncle to his father. Inside was a 1910 baseball card
of Shoeless Joe Jackson, a legendary hitter whose name was forever tarred by his
part in fixing the 1919 World Series. The card sold for $492,000 at auction in
May 2020, according to Heritage Auctions.

Although you might not find something as valuable as a Shoeless Joe Jackson
card, it could be worth your time to look for a few treasures in the attic (or
garage, basement, shed or storage unit). Here are 10 of the hottest collectibles
you might find.

 * LIST
 * |
 * SLIDESHOW
 * 10Photos


 *  * 
    * 1 of 10
    * 
   
   PHOTO BY: Alamy Stock Photo
   
   
   ACTION FIGURES
   
   As long as there have been movies, little kids have played with action
   figures. Now that they’ve grown up, they collect them. A Star Wars Boba Fett
   rocket-firing prototype figure from 1979 fetched $236,000 in June 2022,
   according to WorthPoint, a site that records prices for collectibles. And a
   1985 Transformer gift set of all six Constructicons (Bonecrusher, Scavengers,
   Scrapper, Hook, Long Haul and Mixmaster) — which, as everyone knows, combine
   to form Devastator — sold for $25,370 in March 2023.

 *  * 
    * 2 of 10
    * 
   
   PHOTO BY: Getty Images
   
   
   BARBIES
   
   Barbie made her appearance in March 1959, and has been sought after by
   collectors since then. The release of Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan
   Gosling has stirred more interest in Mattel’s famous doll. An original 1959
   Barbie — in the box — is currently selling on eBay for $300,000. “I’m keeping
   an eye on the Ken dolls,” says Amy Moyer, proprietor of antmuffin: Art,
   Antiques and Collectibles. A 1992 Earring Magic Ken is currently on sale on
   eBay for $202.50.

 *  * 
    * 3 of 10
    * 
   
   PHOTO BY: Getty Images
   
   
   BASEBALL CARDS
   
   Did your mother throw out your baseball cards? Don’t be your mother. Even
   some cards in the 1985–1995 “junk wax” period, when the card industry pumped
   out millions more cards than anyone wanted, are valuable. A 1989 rookie card
   for Ken Griffey Jr. — in mint condition — sold for $18,000 in 2021. In
   contrast, the Holy Grail of baseball cards — Mickey Mantle’s 1952 card — last
   sold for about $12.6 million in October 2021. There are only three left in
   perfect condition. One reason: Lots of kids stuck baseball cards in their
   bike spokes to make noise, says Will Seippel, CEO of WorthPoint.
   
   Baseball cards aren’t the only valuable trading cards. A 1979 Topps Wayne
   Gretzky hockey card sold for $100,000 in November 2020, and a rookie card for
   quarterback Tom Brady fetched $498,000 in October 2022.

 *  * 
    * 4 of 10
    * 
   
   PHOTO BY: AFP / Getty Image
   
   
   COMIC BOOKS
   
   Comic book collectors swoon at the thought of owning the 1962 Amazing
   Fantasy #15, where Spider-Man made his debut, or the June 1938 Action
   Comics #1, where Superman first took flight. Both sell for millions. More
   recent comic books, however, also fetch a decent price if they’re in good
   shape; you can even buy them professionally graded for condition and
   enshrined in plastic for protection. In May 2021, a signed copy of Spider-Man
   #300 from 1988 sold for $9,999; it was the first appearance of Venom,
   Spidey’s nemesis.

 *  * 
    * 5 of 10
    * 
   
   PHOTO BY: Getty Images
   
   
   FISHING GEAR
   
   You might take a moment before throwing away that old fishing pole or reel. A
   Van Staal spinning reel sold for $1,775 in August 2022. A vintage Shakespeare
   reel sold for $876 in 2021. Even humble Zebco — named for the Zero Hour Bomb
   Company, a Texas-based maker of electric time bombs for oil drilling — has
   some standout reels. A Zebco 33 50th-year anniversary Spincast Reel sold for
   $550 in February 2023.

 *  * 
    * 6 of 10
    * 
   
   PHOTO BY: Alamy Stock Photo
   
   
   FURNITURE 
   
   
   The obvious problem with selling furniture is that someone has to haul it to
   its new home. Nevertheless, people need furniture, whether it’s a vintage
   six-board blanket box ($650) or a 1960s Danish Modern nesting teak side table
   ($260). While Scandinavian Modern has been coveted by buyers for some
   time, some are turning to postmodern furniture, such as Memphis Milano, known
   for its bright colors and sharp angles.

 *  * 
    * 7 of 10
    * 
   
   PHOTO BY: Getty Images
   
   
   POKÉMON CARDS
   
   Pokémon (short for “pocket monsters”) cards have been around since 1996, and
   in the mind of an 8-year-old, you really gotta catch them all — more than 900
   of them. The cards are part of a game that trainers (the person owning the
   cards) use to build a powerful 60-card deck. Prices range from 50 cents for
   common cards to more than $1 million for rare cards with obvious (to
   Pokémaniacs) errors.

 *  * 
    * 8 of 10
    * 
   
   PHOTO BY: FIG Fotos / Alamy Stock Photo
   
   
   POSTERS
   
   The value of a poster depends on how famous the event was — and how much it
   means to you. Did you go to the closing of the Fillmore West and see (among
   many others) Elvin Bishop, the Grateful Dead, Santana, Creedence Clearwater
   Revival and Tower of Power? Did you get the poster? A second printing of the
   poster sells for $1,091 at Wolfgang’s Vault; a third printing sells for $40.
   An original Wizard of Oz movie poster in very fine condition sold for
   $108,000 in 2019; a reprint sold for $45 in May 2021.

 *  * 
    * 9 of 10
    * 
   
   PHOTO BY: Getty Images
   
   
   SPORTS MEMORABILIA
   
   “You can’t go wrong if you have anything from Michael Jordan in the ‘80s or
   ‘90s,” says Robert Wilonsky, communications director for Heritage Auctions,
   which currently has Jordan’s rookie card for sale, with bids starting at
   $135,000. Most signed baseballs are worth something, as are signed bats and
   bobbleheads. Got a signed football? Those are good, too. In fact, just about
   anything that a sports figure has signed is worth something. Babe Ruth once
   signed a dumbbell for a fan; it sold for $8,000 in 2014.

 *  * 
    * 10 of 10
    * 
   
   PHOTO BY: AFP / Getty Images
   
   A 1976 Apple-1 Personal Computer, from Steve Jobs parents' garage sold for
   $365,000 at Christie's auction on December 5, 2014.
   
   
   TECHNOLOGY
   
   While you’re cleaning out the garage, ask yourself: Are you really going to
   use all those old gadgets? If not, you could get some cash for them. A floppy
   disk signed by Apple founder Steve Jobs sold for $84,115 in 2019, according
   to WorthPoint. A World War II Fairchild Maxson MK1, an early navigational
   computer, sold for $20,000 in 2020. The latest rage: Nintendo Power magazine.
   The first issue of the publication is currently on eBay for prices ranging
   from $435 to $39,998, depending on condition.



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Getty Images


VALUE IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER


What makes a collectible valuable? Condition is one thing. If you're hoping
your Donkey Kong 3 cartridge is valuable, it might be: A rare version of the
video game sold for $28,800 in 2019. The catch: The truly valuable games have
never left their original packaging. “If you played with it, forget it,” says
collectibles expert Harry Rinker.

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.

Another element is desirability. Although it's possible that you may have a
Rembrandt in the attic or a Chippendale Mahogany Bombe Chest in the basement,
it's not likely. And, to be honest, most people aren't going to be interested in
your grandmother's tea set, either. “If you find something that appeals to
people over 65, you can't sell it, because those people are trying to get rid of
their stuff, not buy more of it,” Rinker says. The newest generation of
collectors is looking at items they had as children in the 1980s and 1990s.

But don't be too quick to judge. “You never know how valuable things are until
you tell people you have it and you want to sell it,” says Robert Wilonsky,
communications director for Heritage Auctions.

Thanks to the internet, it's not hard to find the price of most collectibles.
Nearly every type of collectible has an internet group, from
the Illinois/Chicago Star Wars Collectors Club to the Mid-West Tool Collectors
Association. You'll generally be able to get some sense of what their members
find valuable. 

You can also check on auction sites, such as Heritage Auctions and Sotheby's
Auction House. You can even contact them to see if you have something
interesting. Finally, there's WorthPoint, which compiles information from dozens
of sources and offers a searchable database for $39.99 a month.

People often make the mistake of thinking that just because something is worth
$50, it's not worth selling. “You have to remember it's money,” says Will
Seippel, CEO of WorthPoint. “Would you throw away $50? Why send to the dump when
you can sell it?"

John Waggoner covers all things financial for AARP, from budgeting and taxes to
retirement planning and Social Security. Previously he was a reporter
for Kiplinger's Personal Finance and USA Today and has written books on
investing and the 2008 financial crisis. Waggoner's USA Today investing column
ran in dozens of newspapers for 25 years.

ALSO OF INTEREST

 * How — and where — to pan for gold
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