Generally, the items can range from sports cards, ticket stubs, and stuffed animals. You might want to check about the things in your attic because they could be worth a fortune! What might you find when you go thrift-store hunting? Here are some of the most valuable products that might earn you tons of money.
Original 1959 Barbie
Before Barbie was introduced to the world, dolls were often stuffed animals or baby dolls. However, Barbie shook up the industry, revolutionizing it altogether. When it was first available, it cost $3 and might be worth about $27,450 now!
World Series Ticket Stub from 1927
Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth were the legends on the Yankees League in 1927. They won 110 games, finishing with a lead of 19. The team is often heralded as being the best in history. While the original ticket was $1, it’s now worth $41,825.
NY Yankee Bobblehead from 1961-62
Bobbleheads are often valuable, but the one from 1961-62 depicts the New York Yankees, so it’s especially valuable. They cost about $59,750 to buy because only two were ever produced. However, it’s got to be in mint condition to earn the big bucks!
Action Comics First Book
The Action Comics book is special because it was the first-ever superhero comic. There were many favorites, including Superman. In fact, it’s considered to be the one that started the entire genre. While it was only 10 cents, you might get $3.2 million for it!
1856 Magenta Stamp
The 1-cent magenta stamp was originally discovered by a Scottish child in 1837 as he went through his uncle’s collection. Arthur Hind then paid $36,000 to own it, but it’s increased in value. The last person to hold it was Stuart Weizman, who paid $9.5 million!
Macallan Peter Blake Whiskey from 1926
Vintage bottles of liquor can be expensive. The Macallan whiskey was aged for 60 years in Sherry casks and cost $27,600 when it was released in 1986. Peter Blake had a few bottles set aside, and one sold for $1.52 million!
Luka Doncic Basketball Card from 2018-19
Everyone knows autographed baseball cards can be worth money. However, the signed rookie card from Luca Doncic is worth $4.6 million. Others fetch a lot, such as Tom Brady’s rookie card, which was sold for $1.32 million.
Birds of America from James Audubon
“Birds of America” is the collection of hand-painted prints by James Audubon. It’s a four-volume set with 435 paintings, and only four copies exist. One was purchased by Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. for $10 million, which was given to his namesake’s foundation.
White Album from The Beatles
The White Album was released in November of 1968, and it was The Beatles’ ninth. Ringo Starr’s personal copy sold for $790,000 at auction 50 years after it was produced. In fact, it was the first of those records to get made.
GI Joe Action Figure – First Edition
The GI Joe Action Figure made its debut in 1964 and was a huge success. However, the production costs were too high to continue. Hasbro realized it could add a backstory and make it more cost-efficient. Still, the original sold at auction for about $200,000 back in 2003.
McGwire’s Baseball (70th Home Run)
Mark McGwire was one of the most powerful hitters in ’90s baseball. He set a record with 70 home runs, so he was clearly a legend. That ball he hit was sold in January 1999, and someone paid $3 million to own it!
Metropolis Poster
Metropolis was a silent film made in 1927 and was the most expensive to produce at the time. The producers only created four, and one is in the Museum of Modern Art. Another is located in a German museum, and one’s in a private collection. That fourth one was sold for $690,000.
Princess Di Beanie Baby
Beanie babies were highly popular in the 1990s, and some of the originals in mint condition are worth a lot of money. After Princess Diana died, a beanie baby was made in her honor to fund the Princess of Wales Memorial.
Stadium Events Video Game (Nintendo)
Nintendo produced the Stadium Events video game, which is one of the most valuable. It only created 200 copies in 1988, and only 10 of them are still in existence. The pre-Wii game is legendary, and one copy sold for $41,300 on eBay!
VHS of Beauty and the Beast
Before online streaming became popular, people watched DVDs at home, though VHS tapes predated that. Most of them aren’t worth much, but old copies of those Disney originals, such as Beauty and the Beast, 101 Dalmations, and Dumbo, sell for thousands.
1953 Superman Lunchbox
Who knew that your superhero lunchbox might be worth thousands after a few years passed? Collectible lunchboxes are extremely rare and have higher values. For example, the 1953 Superman lunchbox was sold for $13,000.
Vincent Black Lightning Motorcycle (1951)
Only 33 of the Vincent Black Lightning motorcycles were produced, and now just 19 exist. One of them broke the record because it sold for about $929,000 back in 2018. That’s something most people are shocked to learn!
Original Levi 501 Jeans
Most people don’t realize that Levi’s was founded back in 1853 and has been making jean products ever since. The company actually bought an original pair of its jeans dated in the late 1800s for $60,000. They’re definitely durable!
Mulan Szechuan Sauce from McDonald’s
Someone had found their pack of Mulan Szechuan sauce, which had been in the vehicle since 1998. It ended up causing a frenzy. In fact, the creators of Rick and Morty added a publicity stunt to bring it back. Plus, someone bought the sauce for $14,700!
Coca-Cola Soda Can with Error
You may think that a factory-made soda with an error would be worth a lot less than one in good shape, but you’d be wrong. Most Coca-Cola collectors and enthusiasts don’t mind paying $250,000 or more to get one of the cans.
1945 Romanee-Conti
A French vineyard became uprooted in 1945, so it could only produce 600 bottles of the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. Two were sold through Sotheby’s, and they broke the record for wine sold at auction because people paid $496,000 and $558,000.
Flowing Hair Silver and Copper Dollar
Whenever your $1 silver coin sells for $10 million, it’s definitely a collector’s item. This one below is said to be the first one to be struck by the US Mint. Overall, Legend Numismatics bought it. This rare coin company spent a lot for one dollar!
First Abu Dhabi License Plate
License plates often have random letters and numbers in them because everything has to be unique. The rarest have single digits and are quite expensive. One man paid $14.3 million in Abu Dhabi to get a plate with the number one on it. However, he went to jail for three years because the check bounced!
Honus Wagner Baseball Card
Did you know that the Honus Wagner card is the most well-known and expensive worldwide? It sold for about $6.6 million because it was in perfect condition. In fact, it’s the best existing version available, which is why it costs so much!
1933 Zippo Lighter
Originally, the Zippo cost 74 cents. There were plenty of models, such as Chrome, Brass, Gunmetal, and Tall, which sell at auction for roughly $18,000 if they’re in good condition. Others are still worth between $400 and $500, and that’s not too bad!
Pikachu Pokemon Card
Pikachu Illustrator is one of the most valuable Pokemon cards on the planet. Avid collectors call it “the holy grail.” It was given as a prize to artists who came up with the best fan art, and it’s now worth thousands of dollars.
Golden Lego Brick
This golden Lego brick is 2×4 inches and made history as being the most expensive product from the brand. It features $205 worth of gold (14 karats). Eventually, someone sold the Lego at auction, and it went for $19,793.
World’s Fair Pez Dispenser (1982)
The Pez dispenser here was made for the World’s Fair in 1982. It wasn’t mass-produced, so it’s quite valuable because of its rareness. In fact, the only one is the prototype, and it sold for $32,205 on eBay in 2006.
Darth Vader Action Figure (1978)
Star Wars was the biggest pop culture phenomenon to happen in the 1970s. Therefore, tons of merchandise came up for grabs, including the Darth Vader figure. The original price was $4.99, but it’s currently worth about $44,944.
Teresa Ann Cabbage Patch (1985)
Cabbage Patch Dolls were the instant craze of the 1980s, and it was the must-have toy for every girl. Vintage dolls are worth a ton of money, but the Teresa Ann one is up to $25,000. It only cost $25 when it was made, so that’s a big difference!
First Edition The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is a popular book, but the first-edition copy features the dust jacket from the 1920s. Jones Brothers is a rare-book company in the UK that sold it. Originally, it was $2 and went for about $400,000 in the end.
Magic The Gathering Card from Black Lotus
Did you love Magic: The Gathering? If so, you know that this Black Lotus card is extremely rare. It was released in 1993 as part of the Alpha set, and it doesn’t require any mana to use. They can go for about $500,000 if they’re in good condition!
Dunes Casino Decks (Blue and Red)
The Dunes Hotel opened in 1955, shutting its doors in 1993. It had been popular on the Las Vegas Strip, though the Bellagio replaced it. The casino inside used a set of red and blue playing cards each night, and they sell for thousands now.
Garbage Pail Kid with Nasty Nick
The Garbage Pail Kids were the popular sticker trading cards, and some are so rare that they sell for thousands. For example, Nasty Nick #1A is worth about $7,000 because it was considered the rarest of them all.
Grandmaster Chime Watch from Patek Philippe
The Grandmaster Chime Watch was designed by Patek Philippe and is considered the most complicated watch the company made. It’s now worth about $30 million because the brand only produced seven of them. See one in Switzerland at the Patek Philippe Museum.
Inverted Jenny Stamp
The USPS created the 24-cent stamp that most people call the “Jenny Invert” or the “Upside-down Jenny.” Issued in 1918, it shows a picture of the Curtiss JN-4 plane, though it was printed upside down. It’s extremely rare, and one went for about $1.5 million in 2018.
Mickey Mantle’s Baseball Card
Mickey Mantel was a very famous baseball player because he hit 536 home runs for the NY Yankees and held a batting average of about .298. One of the original baseball cards sold for $5.22 million because it was the 1952 Topps card in mint condition.
Cone Top Can from Apache Export
Beer can collections are often pricey, as well. Breweriana is a popular auction site, and it listed the Apache Export can for about $28,000. Arizona Brewing Co. made it in the 1930s to feature a cone-top design.
Boy Scout Patch from 1947 (World Jamboree French Maitresse)
The Boy Scout patch from 1947 was called the World Jamboree French Maitresse, and it was the fifty-cent coin for the Scouts, too. It’s so incredibly rare that one sold for $71,000 at an auction.
Pyrex Casserole Dishes from 1959
Pyrex is high-quality and durable, but its vintage casserole dishes are even more valuable. If yours was made in 1959, you can expect thousands of dollars. In fact, collecting has become a hobby for many, which made the dishes cost more.