Most of us won’t ever discover a treasure just like the sweater as soon as owned by legendary soccer coach Vince Lombardi {that a} Knoxville, Tennessee, couple purchased at Goodwill for 58 cents and resold for $43,000.
However, chin up. There may be nonetheless loads of revenue to be made within the humble objects that encompass us on daily basis — even for issues folks may name rubbish.
After three a long time of thrift purchasing, dumpster diving and reselling, I’ve discovered and offered some true oddities. Listed here are some stunning issues you’ll be able to promote for further money.
1. Dentures
Sure, you learn that proper: dentures. My brother as soon as purchased a set of used false tooth for $1 at a yard sale. He promptly flipped them on eBay for $75.
Patrons for this merchandise fall inside two classes: collectors of oddities and people who merely can’t or received’t pay wherever from $1,000 or extra for a brand new set of choppers.
2. Classic street maps
Street maps are fashionable with crafters and collectors of oil and gasoline memorabilia. Older maps with daring graphics promote notably effectively, as do maps from defunct firms like Conoco and Skelly.
3. Ugly Christmas sweaters
Mark your calendars: Annually in November, on-line gross sales of ugly Christmas sweaters begin to spike.
Corporations like Tipsy Elves are cashing in on People’ love of goofy garb and making new purposely ugly sweaters. However don’t fear, used ugly sweaters promote nice too, and thrift shops are stuffed with them.
On this class, tackier is healthier. Christmas-themed sweaters bedazzled with sequins, ornaments, ruffles and garland promote at a premium. Each Christmas season, I promote 10 to fifteen ugly sweaters on eBay for about $30 apiece.
4. Sea glass
For those who stay alongside a shoreline, hit the seaside. Surf-tumbled sea glass is a sizzling commodity amongst jewelry-makers and craftspeople.
Pink, orange and amber sea glass are notably prized. I’ve seen 11 items of crimson and orange sea glass promote for $170 on eBay.
5. License plates
That stack of outdated steel license plates in your storage is value cash. In a cleansing frenzy one summer season, I liquidated 25 plates for $30 on Craigslist.
Patrons use license plates to embellish man caves, create artwork and construct cool birdhouses.
Though there’s a marketplace for all steel plates, critical collectors pay a premium for items which can be older, in good situation and from non-contiguous U.S. states (Alaska and Hawaii).
6. Vintage eyeglasses
Your great-grandmother’s pair of wire-framed eyeglasses are seemingly gold-filled, which makes them value $20 to $40. Search for the abbreviation “GF” (gold-filled) preceded by a karat ranking.
Gold or not, classic cat-eye glasses from the Fifties promote effectively too. Retro fashionistas pays $30 to $50 for ornate examples.
7. Classic resort keychains
Readers of a sure age will bear in mind the plastic diamond-shaped resort keychains (additionally known as key tags or fobs) from the Sixties and ’70s. Right this moment, they’re a kitschy collectible.
Though collectors pay prime greenback for keychains from well-known locations akin to The Dunes in Las Vegas, don’t low cost roadside dives. Anticipate every keychain to promote for $5 to $15 on eBay or Etsy.
8. Driftwood
Giant items of driftwood are utilized in landscaping, furnishings development, terrarium design and taxidermy tasks. Easy types fetch $10 to $15 whereas larger, more-interesting shapes can deliver $30 and up.
A phrase of warning: Earlier than accumulating driftwood on public land, verify with native officers. Many areas prohibit the elimination of any pure supplies.
9. Vintage keys
Often fabricated from iron or brass, vintage keys are in vogue. Designers use these rustic gems to make jewellery, crafters flip them into wind chimes, and collectors body and show them.
Final summer season, I offered a number of vintage keys at a yard sale for $3 apiece. On-line, consumers pays $10 to $15 for a single, distinctive key.
10. Giant pine cones
Correction, Mother and Dad: Cash does develop on bushes.
I’ve 5 massive pine bushes in my yard, and I’ll sometimes collect and promote the most important pine cones which have dropped to the bottom.
Decorators use pine cones as textural accent items. Vacation lovers use them in making wreaths and adorning tables. I’ve seen jumbo cones (9 inches or bigger) promote for practically $9 every on Etsy.
11. Discontinued merchandise
When my outdated favourite moisturizer, Advanced 15, was discontinued, I turned to eBay in a determined try to horde each final drop of the stuff. To my dismay, tubes of my once-$8.99 moisturizer had been promoting for practically $100 every!
The lesson? Some merchandise have a wildly devoted fan base. Earlier than you toss out something, verify costs on-line.
12. Previous espresso cups
Have a cabinet stuffed with espresso cups? Earlier than you declutter, verify the values.
Sure cups made by Fireplace-King are sizzling with collectors. Look particularly for items fabricated from milk glass (a sort of opaque white glass) that function characters from the Peanuts cartoon. Relying on rarity and situation, a few of these cups fetch a whole lot of {dollars} on eBay and Etsy.
Fireplace-King additionally manufactured cups fabricated from jadeite, an opaque inexperienced glass. Heavier jadeite items from Fireplace-King’s Restaurant Ware line are notably invaluable. A single jadeite mug can promote for $35 to $40.
13. Trendy paper foreign money
Yep, your cash is value cash. Trendy payments that includes fancy serial numbers can promote for greater than face worth.
Examine your pockets for payments with:
- Stable serial numbers: All digits are the identical (44444444)
- Repeater serial numbers: Digits within the first half of the quantity repeat within the second half (40014001)
- Ladder serial numbers: Each digit is one quantity larger or decrease than the final (23456789)
- Serial numbers which can be very low (00000110) or very excessive (99999979)
14. Previous yearbooks
Yearbooks enchantment to 3 audiences:
- Superstar memorabilia collectors scour outdated yearbooks to search out well-known names and signatures.
- Graduates of a selected faculty purchase yearbooks to reconnect with their historical past.
- Artists of all types use yearbooks to supply classic photographs and commercials.
Values fluctuate relying on the yr and college. I as soon as offered a group of 4 not-so-spectacular yearbooks for $18, and I’ve seen a 1953 highschool yearbook containing Sandy Koufax’s senior picture promote for $230 on eBay.
15. Rotary telephones
Though your grandkids in all probability don’t know how one can use it, that rotary telephone packed away within the attic is value cash.
Collectors pay a premium for working telephones in daring colours like orange, pink, mint inexperienced and blue. I as soon as noticed a darkish blue rotary desk telephone promote for $180 on eBay.
16. Classic photographs and postcards
Is there a shoebox stuffed with outdated snapshots and postcards hiding beneath your mattress? It may be value a couple of bucks.
Classic photos are used as dwelling decor accent items and integrated into paintings. Postcard collectors (sure, that’s a factor) pay prime greenback for vintage playing cards that includes iconic moments in historical past, well-known ocean liners or Halloween imagery. I’ve seen a Halloween postcard from 1911 promote for $189 on eBay.
17. Typewriter keys
Able to toss that outdated Smith Corona? Salvage the keys first! Vintage handbook typewriter keys are repurposed by jewelry-makers, mosaic artists and scrapbookers.
A couple of years in the past, I eliminated 55 keys from two closely broken typewriters from the Nineteen Forties. I offered the lot for $35 on Etsy.
