We’ve all heard stories through the years of valuable paintings discovered at yard sales, purchased for pennies. But paintings aren’t the only valuables in people’s basements waiting to be discovered. A variety of records, clothing, sculptures, movie posters and furniture have found their way to auction houses and fetched thousands or even millions. An Andy Warhol sketch, for instance, picked up for $5 in 2010 was later appraised at $2 million.
But how do you know if you’re sitting on gold or simply fool’s gold? Well, the truth is, most of the stuff cluttering grandma’s basement may have sentimental value but likely not much more. But like the proverbial needle in a haystack, it’s worth knowing a little about what might be worth a lot – and if in doubt, asking someone who does.
The value of any collectible is primarily based on supply and demand and whether it has historical significance, which would explain one of only 200 engraved reproductions of the Declaration of Independence that was bought at a garage sale for $2.48 and eventually sold at auction for nearly $500,000.
Here are few clues to look for:
Furniture – Older and, often, more valuable pieces were built using a dovetailing technique instead with nails. Original midcentury furniture – made in the 1950s and 1960s by designers like Eames, Knoll, Jacobsen or Saarinen – have become especially in demand and valuable.
Identifying marks – Look under, behind or inside pieces of furniture, porcelain, illustrations or paintings, then search online. The Antiques Roadshow website as well as sites like 1stdibs.com and eBay can give you a good idea about whether your piece is a collectible and how much it might be worth.
VHS tapes – Most of them probably aren’t worth much but a few – like a copy of horror flick “Tales From the Quadead Zone" – could be worth as much as $2,000.
Video games – Like movie videos, most won’t be worth much unless they are extremely rare – like “Stadium Events" by Bandai, which was released in 1987 and is now worth $40,000!
Cereal boxes – While the cereal will definitely be past its best before date, unopened boxes of some cereals can fetch upwards of $200.
Cell phones – There are so many floating around, you practically can’t give away most old mobile phones. But a few very old ones – like a 1983 Motorola DynaTAX 8000X – have sold at auction for $550.
Do you have stuff sitting in your basement that you’re not sure is worthless or priceless? Do some online digging and share your questions and suggestions with other members in the Shop Talk blog community forum!
Did you know? It’s alive!
A Frankenstein poster from the original 1931 movie was discovered in the 1970s during a theatre renovation – it sold at auction in 2015 for, get this, $358,500. (Source)
I collect metal bells of various types like sleigh bells and other interesting bells.
I have old stuff in my home.In do not know if they are worth anything.can you help me to determine if my stuff is worth anything. I have an old super 8 movie projector.I have one or two Polaroid cameras.please advise.
I have been collecting Royal Albert tea cups and other pieces. I would like to know if this is good to collect or not. I also have pieces of Fenton. I have a few things that were my Mothers and they don’t seem to have any markings how can I find out if they are worth something?
Anyone interested in an extensive Eeyore collection?
I HAVE MY LATE SONS COMIC BOOK COLLECTION WHICH COVERS A WIDE SPACE OF TIME IN HIS COLLECTION. THEY ARE IN INDIVIDUAL PLASTIC SLEEVES, AND BOXED. THERE ARE 622 ENTRIES IN THE CATALOG, BUT SOME OF IN SERIES SO THERE ARE MORE THAN 622 COMICS. WOULD LIKE INPUT AS TO WHO OR WHERE I COULD CONTACT TO GET INFO ON HOW TO DISPOSE OF THE WHOLE COLLECTION, NOT JUST BITS AND PIECES. ALL ARE IN PRISTINE CONDITION AS THIS WAS HIS HOBBY FOR MANY YEARS.
i have a friend who found a off the wall coin it has the picture of washington on front and a eagle on back is it worth anything
I have a vintage Barbie Doll and accessories. She was apparently raised in 1993 for over $1,000. She is of course now an antique sincebshe is 58 years old. I need to knows her value. I want the sell the whole collection.
What can I say? I was a collector in my younger years. I collected dolls (now worth nothing), clocks (a couple not worth anything), Avon (not worth anything) and some pottery (doubt they’re worth anything)…see most of the stuff was high priced but crashed in 2008. In the meantime, my mom died and I have her jewelry plus mine plus I found 2 cigar boxes of very old jewelry but don’t know where to take it to find out if it’s worth anything. I also have old wooden fishing lures with glass eyes that used to sell for $54 a piece but now are only worth $10-$25. I’m so lucky. NOT! It breaks my heart.
I have a vast collection of Snow White and the dwarf collectables. A collection that spans over 30 yrs. and needing some suggestions on how and where to start selling either individually or as groups. It includes ceramic sets, Christmas ornaments, pictures, books, etc.
I have a folding wallpaper table where the tools are inside. I think it is an antique
swazorski figurines
I have a large collection of die-cast model cars. Some are large, small and colorful from the early 1950’s
on up. A lot of different models. Would they be worth anything? Thank you.
Carolyn Pryor
Just remember to really pay attention to what you have in your own house before you sell it. It could be worth a fortune
I have a very old double hanging lamp it is made of stained glass and very heavy. Can u give me some idea who might know something about this kind of lamp? Where it may be signed of at all. Thankyou for any info. Judy.
I have a lot of old records—LP’s and 45’s. Where can I find a value for them? A few LP’s are from my childhood, some from maybe late 50’s into the 60’s. The 45’s are mostly from the 60’s. I have a few Elvis records with 2songs in each side that came in cardboard sleeves with pictures on them.
I was very excited to see this article. I have a collection spanning almost 40 years that I will be getting ready to sell. My most prized collection is a collection of 12,000 Got Milk Posters!
Where would i find out how much a phonograph doll would be eorth?
How can I determine the value on a collection of Comic Books?
Baseball Cards
I have a collection of movie buttons. From The Little Mermaid to The Lost Boys and all kinds of other movie buttons that were given out as promotional items. I also have a baseball cap that was given to the crew for the first Spiderman movie. How do I find out what they are worth.