These Old Items Hiding in Your Attic Are Worth a Ton of Money Today (2024)

Equestrian and hunting paintings reached mainstream popularity in 19th-century England, but horses and their riders have added proper flair to gallery walls for hundreds of years. From formal jockey portraits to action-filled depictions of traditional fox-hunting excursions, the category is popular for casual horse lovers and experts alike. Large oil paintings with original ornate frames garner much higher values, while smaller examples in simpler, more primitive frames bring less.

What it's worth: $200 to $10,000

Video game consoles from the 1980s are nabbing big dollars, especially when they’re unused and/or a rare edition. The Nintendo PlayStation prototype shown here sold at auction in March 2020 for a whopping $360K. Individual video games—while available at every price point—can bring more than $20,000.

What it's worth: $20 to $360,000

Julia Child is one of America's favorite chefs, and her first cookbook swept the nation when it was published in 1961. If you've hung onto an original copy, you may be in the market for more than just a satisfied appetite—a first edition in good condition with the original jacket is rare and earns top dollar on Ebay and other online auctions sites.

What it's worth: $2,000 and up

August 2020 marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment’s ratification, which means “votes for women” collectibles are back in the spotlight. Items like those shown here that date directly to the movement’s most active years (1890–1917) are considered museum-worthy with values in the thousands; later pieces, such as buttons and pins, are more affordable. Find an extensive index of artifacts at womansuffragememorabilia.com.

What it's worth: $50 to priceless

Post WWII, Americans were in a celebratory mood, and at-home entertaining (especially co*cktail parties) was all the rage. Important to the affair was the offering of the appropriate graphic and colorful barware—with just the right dose of gold glitz—by well-known glassware companies such as Libbey, Federal Glass, Hazel-Atlas, and Culver. As the craze for retro co*cktails has grown, so has love for the accompanying accoutrements. But you don’t have to wait for a party to enjoy them. These modern pieces make a fun addition to your everyday table.

What it's worth: $15 to $1,500

Lately, Country Living's style editors have been coveting monochromatic vintage coverlets like the pretty pieced quilt shown here. Their back-to-basics patterns (typically a single color mixed with white) were popular in the 1930s and ’40s and are reminiscent of early quilters’ designs, when color and fabric options were limited.

What it's worth: $150 to $450

When it comes to the nostalgia factor, nothing tops an original concert poster, and the bigger the name (read, the Beatles!), the better. Appraiser Helaine Fendelman advises that framed posters are more desirable and bring in the higher end of the $100-$1,000 range, although those of bigger headliners may bring much more at auction—a poster for a 1966 Shea Stadium Beatles concert sold for $137,000 earlier this year.

What it's worth: up to $25,000

When young lithographer Milton Bradley founded his Springfield, Massachusetts-based printing business, an English board game he'd been introduced to by a friend was very much on his mind. He decided to launch a U.S. version of the game, The Checkered Game of Life, in 1860. The risk paid off in a big way, and so began his company's new direction and the eventual introduction of more than 1,000 games. Some were based on traditional card and parlor games, some gave a nod to cultural themes (money during the Depression, patriotism during war times), while others banked on characters from pop culture (think Superman or Charlie's Angels). When it comes to resale, sealed, unopened boxes often double the value, but the retro nostalgia of childhood family nights equals dollars for most titles.

What it's worth: $10 to $800

These gilt-framed bull's eye mirrors are often capped with an eagle, which was a popular patriotic motif of our then-newly independent country. It's also thought that the 13 balls around the edge symbolize the 13 original colonies. Mirrors of the actual Federal period date to 1780–1830 and fetch top dollar, while nice 19th- or early-20th-century “in the style of” examples sell for much less.

What it's worth: $100 to $10,000

Small wall and desk clocks in the Art Deco style reached peak popularity in the 1930s and ’40s. Their shapes and materials reflected the opulence of the era—think mirrored faces, gold accents, and geometric designs that mimicked the skyscrapers popping up in major cities at the time. Many clocks can be found for under $50, but higher value models by esteemed makers like Westclox and Telechron can reach nearly $1,000 in value. (Tip: they’re super easy to spot. The maker name is usually shown on the clockface itself.)

What it's worth: $25 to $1,000

Still holding on to your old lunch box? Boxes featuring Roy Rogers, The Beatles, The Jetsons, and even Rambo can score a lot of cash.

What it's worth: Up to $3,100

Duck decoys became highly collectable in the mid-20th century and prices have never been higher for pristine items. If you've inherited one, you could earn up to hundreds of thousands of dollars at an auction. Read further for more specifics on what makes for a valuable decoy.

What it's worth: Up to $650,000

If you've hung onto this popular 1967 record from The Beatles, you could be in luck. Copies of the album have brought up to $290,500 at auction, although most sell for a couple hundred dollars.

What it's worth: Up to $290,500

When pegging the value of baseball cards, the general rule is that the older they are, the more they are worth. There are a lot of nuances that determine a card's worth though, so if you've come across a hoard of old cards, it's worth getting them appraised. Based on variables like condition, player, and year, a card can be sold online for thousands of dollars.

What it's worth: Up to $3.2 million

These mini vases measure just four inches tall but pack a decorative punch. Made by Morton Pottery, they’re just one example of the earthy swirled pottery popularized by Midwestern and Ozark-area makers like Niloak and Nemadji in the 1920s and ’30s. Often sold as roadside souvenirs, these colorful vessels are widely known as “tourist pottery.” Larger vases (12-plus inches tall) with maker’s marks can be worth upward of $300.

What it's worth: $15 to $350

The plush collectable toys that were popular in the 1990s have massive resale value on sites like Ebay, especially if the tag is still attached and the item is in mint condition. While many are only worth a few dollars, some of the limited edition toys have sold for up to half a million dollars online. For example, one of the original Beanie Babies—a lobster named Pinchers—sells for $35,000.

What it's worth: Up to $500,000

Founded in 1919 as a subsidiary of General Electric, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was a pioneer in the radio industry. In 1929, RCA purchased the Victor Talking Machine Company (known for the Victrola phonograph), creating RCA Victor and launching their presence into consumer radios. The company followed its original Radiola line with Art Deco-style console and wooden radios that dominated the marketplace in the '30s and '40s. Plastic was all the craze post-WWII, and RCA answered with sleek, colorful tube radios make of Bakelite and, later, other nonresin plastics, like this trio pictured.

What it's worth: up to $4,000

Yep, that record player is worth something too! "This RCA Victor Slide-O-Matic record player is somewhat rare," says eBay's Jim Griffith. "This particular model dates back to the 1950s and made listening to a stack of 45s—the only kind of record it plays—pretty labor intensive," he says. "Records are inserted one at a time, so you basically listen to a single song before it's time to insert the next one." This model is less sought after than portable versions or a later version that combined the record player and an AM radio in single device.

What it's worth: up to $800

If you were lucky enough to get your hands on a pair of Super Bowl tickets back in the day, you could earn a big payout from holding onto them. Most of these paper tickets have a blue or yellow stripe on the top which, according to Sports Collectors Daily, sell for between $200 to $1,000. If you held onto tickets with white stripes on top, you could make up to $4,000. Of course, it depends on the popularity of the game, as well. Super Bowl II and Super Bowl XII tickets are particularly rare.

What it's worth: Up to $4,000

Vintage clothing and accessories, such as scarves, handbags, and belts, can bring prices in the thousands, and even the tens of thousands if they bear a designer name such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton or Chanel. (A limited edition Hermes Birkin bag sold for $125,000!) Less-famous name-brand items can be snagged at more affordable prices. “The key is condition,” says appraiser Bene Raia. “Look through all the layers of the fabric to make sure there are no moth holes or damage. Then find a great dry cleaner.”

What it's Worth: up to $20,000