You won't believe what you can get for some of the old "junk" lying around your house
Put money in your pocket faster than a speeding bullet
“I can save your house, just give me four minutes to make a phone call.” Stephen Fishler made this bold promise to a family he’d just met at a Waffle House who were on the verge of losing their home to foreclosure. And he wasn’t bluffing.
While cleaning out their late father’s house, the family stumbled across an old comic book tucked away in the attic. It didn’t look like much. But when they pulled it out of their trunk and showed it to Fishler, a collectibles expert and CEO of ComicConnect.com and Metropolis Comics, he recognized it immediately: 1938’s Action Comics #1, featuring the very first appearance of Superman. It was worth $400,000! Enough to pay off the loan and save the house. The story made national headlines: Superman saves a family’s home.
But the real superheroes were the two daughters who did the hard work of cleaning out the attic, and Fishler, who knew a good thing when he saw it. “You never know what’s in a house,” he says. “The things that you’re seeing as unimportant, they may be very important.”
Collectors agree: The global resale market is expected to reach $350 billion by 2027, according to ThredUp, fueled in no small part by vintage and collectible items that were once dismissed as clutter—the kind of stuff people have been shoving into attics, stuffing into boxes and selling for a dollar at garage sales for decades. So before you rent that dumpster, let’s take a very careful walk through your house with tips from Fishler and three appraisal experts.
Do your homework first
Michigan-based real estate agent Ryann Brier works with sellers clearing out inherited homes, and she has one piece of advice she gives every client: “You need to sell your house in the right order. You need to take inventory, sell inventory and then sell the house.” She has watched too many people spend money to hire haulers who throw away valuable things. “A bad clean-out does not just cost you dumpster fees,” she says. “It can eat into your profit.”
The same principle applies even if you’re not selling a house: Slow down. “People should not be in a rush,” Fishler says. “Do your homework. It may turn out that there’s nothing particularly great, or you might be surprised.” Take time to look over each piece carefully. If you see a maker’s mark, model number or a vintage metal stamp, it deserves a second look.
Jonathan Pratt, an antiques and auctions expert at Dawsons Auctioneers, also says to be methodical. “Remove the larger pieces that you already know you cannot keep or deal with, but retain the smaller material” until you can go through it and get the advice of experts. “The old expression ‘Leave no stone unturned’ is entirely applicable,” he says. (He once discovered a forgotten painting in a London flat that eventually sold for £70,000—about $93,000—even though the rest of the contents of the home were headed for the rummage sale.)
Brier is clear that this is about more than money: It’s a process worth doing right. And after years in this business, Fishler has found that it’s often unexpectedly meaningful. “You may look back on it and go: Wow, it was a little cathartic,” he says. “And I didn’t think it was going to be like that, but apparently it is.”
Now, let’s get to the good stuff. Do you have any of these items lying around your house?
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Comic books
How much it’s worth: $100 to many thousands of dollars (occasionally millions!), depending on condition
The people who want comic books want them desperately—and are willing to pay handsomely. The Silver Age of Comics (1956–1969) produced some of the most valuable books in the hobby, including the first appearances of Spider-Man, Thor, Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. In good condition, these can sell for tens of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, of dollars. Incredibly, a near-mint copy of Amazing Fantasy #15—the 1962 issue featuring Spider-Man’s debut—sold just a few years ago for $3.6 million. That might be a little too much to hope for, but even a well-worn copy of the same issue has sold for more than $11,000.
But you don’t need an Action Comics #1 or an Amazing Fantasy #15 to score big. If you or a parent held onto comics from the 1960s through 1980s, start by checking for titles featuring characters who’ve since appeared in major films or streaming series. Those first appearances tend to command premiums.
Condition is everything, says Fishler. The grading scale runs from 0.05 (poor) to 10 (mint), and the difference between a 6.0 (fine) and an 8.5 (very fine+) can mean thousands of dollars. If you have promising issues, put them in acid-free mylar bags with a backing board and take them to a pro. “Pick out the potentially most valuable titles and have them graded,” Fishler says. “Choose a professional grading service that will give you a quick turnaround for a reasonable price.”
Where to sell: ComicConnect.com or Heritage Auctions. A specialist will always beat a random eBay listing for valuable issues—you’ll reach serious collectors and investors who know exactly what they’re looking at and are willing to pay for it.
Old Pyrex
How much it’s worth: $50 to over $1,000 for a full set in the right pattern
Your grandmother’s Pyrex is having a moment. Actually, it’s been having a moment for about a decade, and prices are only going up. Certain patterns—Butterprint, Snowflake Blue and Lucky Clover among them—are serious collector’s items, particularly in the U.S. market.
“A full set of nested bowls in an attractive print or color is always a winner,” says Kayleigh Davies, antiques specialist at Auctionet and toy consultant for Miller’s Antiques Handbook. “The Butterprint pattern is often found in turquoise, so different color variations attract a premium.” A set of four Butterprint bowls in pumpkin, for example, recently sold for $825, and other rare colors can sell for more than $1,000.
Even a basic but attractive set could fetch $50 or more, which is a lot for something you were about to drop off at the thrift store.
Where to sell: eBay has a strong collector base for Pyrex, but Etsy is worth trying for home goods too.
Sterling silver flatware
How much it’s worth: Potentially thousands of dollars, and the melt value alone can be substantial
Most people assume the silverware in the sideboard drawer is silver-plated—meaning it’s worth next to nothing. But sterling silver is a different story entirely. Sterling (marked with “925,” “.925” or “Sterling”) is 92.5% pure silver, and with silver prices elevated, even the melt value can be surprisingly high. And that’s before you account for any collector interest in the pattern itself.
Brier puts sterling silver flatware near the top of her list of most overlooked valuables. Case in point: A Tiffany & Co. flatware service in the Whittier pattern recently sold at auction for $22,000. Check those markings—and while you’re at it, look more carefully at everything tucked in around the silver. Pratt recalls a sideboard where he found a silver swizzle stick, a cocktail stick and an unusual mechanical pencil “engraved with logarithms, effectively a small mathematical calculator.” Small items have a way of hiding in plain sight!
Where to sell: A local antique dealer or silver specialist will give you the most accurate assessment. For high-value sets, it’s worth contacting an auction house.
Vintage Levis
How much it’s worth: $50 to $150 for a standard vintage pair; hundreds to thousands for rare early examples
Before you donate those old jeans from the cedar chest, check the label. Vintage denim—particularly Levi’s 501s from before the 1970s—have become a serious collector’s item, driven in large part by Japanese buyers with a deep appreciation for American workwear heritage. If you can believe it, a pair of 19th-century Levi’s discovered in an abandoned New Mexico mine shaft sold at auction for $87,000.
“Check the label for a capital E on the ‘Levi’s’ tab, as these will be pre-1971, but the earlier the better,” says Davies. Original condition matters, but light wear is fine. A pre-1970s pair in excellent condition can reach four figures. That’s a lot of money for pants that have been sitting in a box since the Nixon administration.
Where to sell: eBay reaches the international market, which is essential for connecting with Japanese buyers. Depop is also strong for this category and attracts younger collectors. Grailed is another good option for vintage menswear.
Star Wars figures
How much it’s worth: A few dollars to over $400 for certain loose figures; much more with original packaging
Dig out those old Star Wars toys! Last year, a 1978 Darth Vader with a telescoping light saber sold for $130,000, the highest amount ever for a commercially released figure. But if you think your old Lukes and Leias are only valuable if they’re rare or in mint condition, think again. “Figures don’t need to be on their original cards to have value,” says Davies, “because there are collectors looking for loose figures in all kinds of conditions.”
And if you don’t recognize the character, that’s not necessarily bad news. “Some of the figures that were unpopular in their day are now among the most sought after.” Yak Face, one of the last figures produced in the original Kenner run in the early 1980s, can sell for more than $400, even loose. Also, don’t skip the bottom of the toy box. “Weapons and accessories were easily lost or vacuumed up,” Davies notes, “and original pieces can be worth hundreds of [dollars] on their own.”
Where to sell: eBay is a good starting point, but dedicated online groups and collector swap meets connect you with knowledgeable buyers who are actively hunting specific figures.
Vintage cameras
How much it’s worth: A few hundred to several thousand dollars for a quality kit
Many of us have old cameras lying around. One of the most common, the beloved Brownie, was produced in enormous quantities and is more decorative than valuable. But prestige makers like Leica and Hasselblad have passionate collector bases and hold significant value. Rare Leica models have sold for six figures at auction, but even common Leica models in good working order regularly sell for three or four figures.
“Research is essential but can really pay off,” says Davies. “A Leica outfit can be worth anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand [dollars].” One important caveat: Even if a camera appears to be working, check for fungus inside the lens. It’s common in cameras stored for years and significantly reduces value.
Where to sell: Specialist camera fairs and dedicated photography auction sales are your best bet for reaching serious collectors. eBay works fine for more common models, and MPB is a specialist marketplace worth exploring.
Vintage tins
How much it’s worth: $30 to well over $1,000 for novelty shapes in good condition
Davies has seen it happen so often it’s almost a rule: Someone brings in a collection of trinkets stored in an old tin, and the tin turns out to be worth more than everything inside it.
Novelty shapes are the winners here: Huntley & Palmers produced biscuit tins shaped like cars, houses and even bookshelves, and they have devoted collectors. In 2022, a pram-shaped tin sold for €1,272 ($1,465), but even a basic tin with a striking pictorial design could fetch $30 or more. Look for examples from the 1950s and earlier, and check carefully for corrosion, which has a significant impact on value.
Where to sell: Collectors’ fairs and auction houses (like Auctionet) are both good options.
West German pottery (Fat Lava)
How much it’s worth: $50 to several hundred dollars, depending on the piece
This is the category most likely to make you do a double-take at something you walked past a hundred times. Fat Lava pottery—thick, bubbling, dramatically glazed ceramics in deep reds, oranges, browns and yellows—was deeply uncool for a long time. Now it’s firmly back, riding a wave of renewed interest in 1970s design.
“The more dramatic and tactile the surface, the better,” says Davies. Makers’ marks aren’t essential, but names like Scheurich, Roth and Bay Keramik have dedicated collectors. A Roth Keramic Guitar vase can sell for around $150, and large floor vases start around $50 for simpler patterns, with monumental pieces fetching considerably more.
Where to sell: An auction house with a design focus is your best bet for statement pieces. For a collection, a specialist vintage or design fair is worth considering.
Anglepoise lamps
How much it’s worth: $150 or more for an early Herbert Terry example
Anglepoise lamps are such a fixture of home offices and reading nooks that it’s easy to overlook them entirely. But early examples of this genuinely iconic design, invented by engineer George Carwardine in the 1930s, can be worth real money. A restored original Herbert Terry Model 1227 in excellent condition has sold for more than £300 (just under $400) at auction.
“Look for early examples in good condition, particularly the original 1227 model,” says Davies. “Check the base and shade for the Herbert Terry maker’s mark, and look for original Bakelite fittings. The more original and complete the lamp, the better.”
Where to sell: An auction house is the sensible route. As Davies notes, electrical items come with complications around testing and buyer expectations, and a good auction house takes that responsibility off your hands while reaching the right collectors.
Costume jewelry
How much it’s worth: Hundreds of dollars for certain Lea Stein pieces; potentially much more for genuine gold
“I’ve lost count of the times I’ve found gold, both literally and figuratively, in a jewelry box assumed to be full of junk,” says Davies.
The tip to know: Look for Lea Stein brooches. These French-designed pieces look like simple plastic to the untrained eye, but they have a devoted collector following. Her animal designs—foxes, cats, birds—are especially popular, and pieces typically have a V-shaped clasp and are marked with “Lea Stein Paris.” Cat and fox brooches sell for $60 to $80 each, with rarer pieces fetching more (the high-end dealer 1st Dibs has pieces going for $350 to $525).
Also, double-check anything that could be gold. “Gold prices are at an all-time high,” says Davies, “so consider getting an opinion from someone knowledgeable if in doubt.” Hallmarks are easy to miss, and it’s far too easy to donate a real gold piece to a thrift store by accident.
Where to sell: Start with a local jeweler for appraisal. Etsy has a strong base for costume jewelry. For better pieces, a specialist vintage fair or jewelry auction will reach more knowledgeable buyers.
First-edition books
How much it’s worth: Less than $50 to many thousands, depending on the title and condition
Pratt has strong feelings about books, specifically about how often people overlook them. “I always advise people to inspect books on shelves carefully, particularly old cloth-bound books, volumes with dust wrappers or books wrapped in paper,” he says. “Often a book was covered simply to protect it, and it may turn out to be a first edition hidden among more ordinary volumes.”
His most useful rule of thumb: “First-edition books that later became films are always worth checking.” For instance, a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone—one of only 500 hardback copies printed in the original run—sold at Heritage Auctions for $471,000. Less pristine copies still regularly sell for $45,000 to $70,000. A woman who paid £10 ($13.27) for one in a bargain bin sold it for $69,000.
Even some first-edition paperbacks carry surprising value. “Books are important,” Pratt says simply. “Once such material is thrown away, it cannot be recovered.”
Where to sell: AbeBooks and specialist rare book dealers are your best starting points for research and selling.
Military memorabilia
How much it’s worth: Widely variable (a few dollars to hundreds of thousands), depending on the type
Brier puts military items near the top of her list of overlooked valuables, and Pratt echoes the point: “Letters and ephemera are equally important, especially correspondence to loved ones, wartime letters and anything associated with history, medals or related objects.”
This is a category where provenance matters enormously. A medal with its original paperwork, citation and some documentation of the soldier who earned it is worth significantly more than the same medal without context. On the high end: A lost medal honoring Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene recently sold for a record-breaking $960,000 at auction. If you find military items in a family home, gather as much history as you can before selling.
Where to sell: Specialist militaria auction houses get the best prices for significant pieces, while established online marketplaces work well for more common items.
Vintage record players and stereo equipment
How much it’s worth: $50 to several thousand dollars for working vintage equipment in quality brands
Turntables are back, and not just as decoration. Audiophiles and vinyl enthusiasts have driven demand for vintage stereo equipment, particularly brands known for quality construction. A working vintage record player from a well-regarded manufacturer can fetch a surprising amount, especially as the vinyl revival shows no signs of slowing down. Case in point: A vintage Thorens TD-124 turntable recently sold for $2,000 at auction.
Brier specifically flags record players and stereo equipment as items people routinely overlook. Check that the equipment works (or can reasonably be repaired), and research the brand before assuming it’s worthless. A Technics, Thorens or Garrard turntable in working order is definitely not an automatic garage sale throwaway.
Where to sell: eBay reaches the largest audience. Local audio enthusiast groups and Facebook Marketplace are also solid options.
Mid-century modern furniture
How much it’s worth: $100 to tens of thousands of dollars for designer pieces
The mid-century modern furniture market has been hot for years, and it shows no sign of cooling. A well-made piece from the 1950s or 1960s—a credenza, a lounge chair, a dining set—can command real money in good condition, especially from a respected maker. A pair of 1960s Pierre Jeanneret slipper chairs recently sold on Chairish for $85,000, and while you might not stumble onto that particular jackpot, it pays to look.
“Check the maker, the model, the material and the age,” says Brier. Look for labels, stamps or markings on the underside of pieces. Designer names like Eames, Knoll and Herman Miller are the jackpot, but even lesser-known makers regularly yield high returns.
And here’s a tip from Pratt, no matter what vintage your furniture is: “I always advise people to empty drawers and examine them carefully, particularly the bottoms.” (Remember his earlier advice: Leave no stone unturned!) Don’t assume furniture is worthless just because it’s old.
Where to sell: Chairish is the go-to platform for mid-century and vintage furniture. An auction house is worth considering for exceptional pieces.
Coins
How much it’s worth: Face value to over $2 million, depending on the coin (yes, really)
This is the category most likely to make you sprint to your junk drawer. The rare-coin market is alive and well, and coins that look completely ordinary can be worth extraordinary sums based on minting errors, date, mint mark or condition. Rare dimes worth more than $2 million, pennies that could be worth significant money now that the U.S. has stopped minting the penny entirely … both are potential jackpots waiting to happen. (Brier also flags presidential quarters as worth examining carefully.)
The golden (or copper) rule: Never clean a coin. You could literally scrub off a five- or six-figure value. Take anything unusual to a reputable coin dealer or professional grading service instead.
Where to sell: Heritage Auctions and Stack’s Bowers are top choices for truly rare coins. A professional coin dealer is a good starting point for assessment.
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Sources:
- Stephen Fishler, collectibles expert and CEO of ComicConnect.com and Metropolis Comics; in-person interview, March 20, 2026
- Ryann Brier, licensed real estate agent in Michigan with City Lights Home Buyers; in-person interview, March 18, 2026
- Jonathan Pratt, antiques and auctions expert at Dawsons Auctioneer; in-person interview, March 18, 2026
- Kayleigh Davies, antiques specialist at Auctionet and toy consultant for Miller’s Antiques Handbook; in-person interview, March 19, 2026
- ThredUp: “2023 Resale Report”
