Looking for ways to earn extra cash? In many cases, you need look no further than your own home. It’s quite possible that some of your old belongings in the attic or basement could literally be worth thousands. Take a look at these 13 valuable things that could be lurking in your home, and start digging!
1. Pocket Change
You may think pocket change isn’t anything to get excited about, but guess what; your old quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies could be worth a lot more than you thought.
Learn about what rare coins to look for in our Your Pocket Change Could Be Worth More Than You Think post.
2. Old Cell Phones
There are lots of ways to sell old cell phones for cash, though the amount you’ll make will vary depending on the condition of the device. However, really (I mean really) old cell phones can fetch quite a good sum. We learned this from Cracked:
3. Old Electronics
Same deal with electronics as with cell phones. Check here for some ideas about where to sell.
A 1983 Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, one of the first wireless phones ever produced, recently sold at auction for $550. Even though the seller made it clear that they don’t know if it will charge or even turn on. And this wasn’t a freak sale to a confused, old, rich person; similar phones have sold for around the same price.
4. Children’s Toys and Games
Do you have an old Game Boy system from the 90’s? On eBay, they’re selling for upwards of $900. So start digging through those old toys and games and do some research to see what similar items are selling for.
5. Bad VHS Movies
According to Cracked:
In 2011 a seller on eBay managed to snatch nearly $700 for a VHS copy of a movie called Tales From the Quadead Zone, a 1987 horror movie that was released direct to VHS and apparently has something to do with a zombie clown from hell. The tape is considered the holy grail of VHS aficionados due to its rarity and terrible, nonsensical plot. Dan Kinem, director of a documentary about VHS collectors, thinks that it could fetch as much as $2,000 today, which is probably about 1,000 times more money than the actual movie ever made when it was new.
6. Collectible Cards
If you have old baseball cards or, say, a collection of old Pokemon cards, you may be in luck. On eBay, a 1999 Pokemon Game card is going for almost $4,000 on eBay.
7. Classic Books
Typically, books and magazines that remain in good shape get more valuable as time goes on. So if you’ve got an old classic book from your great great grandfather, chances are you could sell it for a pretty penny.
8. Old Comics
If you collected comics as a kid, there are definitely people who’d be willing to by them at a high price now. If you’ve got an entire series of, say, Archie’s, you’re likely in for a big treat.
9. Vinyl Records
Depending on the conditions and what band it is, your old records (or your parents’ old records) could definitely be worth a good amount. Don’t make the same mistake as Twitter user Joe Bappe.
10. Dolls
Holding onto some old American Girl Dolls? Samantha and Felicity, for example, are fetching between $300 and $400 on eBay. Or how about old Barbies that never left the box? Many of these are not collector’s item toys that are worth much more than you would expect. And original Cabbage Patch Kids are going for more than $1,000 on eBay.
11. Vintage Costume Jewelry
Vintage clothing stores are now very much into collecting vintage costume jewelry. And on lucky occasions, certain pieces can actually be worth a lot.
12. Vintage Furniture
You could be the lucky owner of a valuable piece of furniture, like this shocked couple.
13. Old Paintings
Or you could be like this woman who found a $12,000 painting in a Goodwill bin.