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’s nonetheless loads of revenue to made within the humble objects that encompass us day-after-day — even for issues folks may name rubbish.
After three many years of thrift buying, dumpster diving and reselling, I’ve discovered and bought some true oddities. Listed here are some shocking issues you possibly can promote for additional money.
1. Dentures
Sure, you learn that proper. At a yard sale in 2019, my brother purchased a set of used false enamel for $1. He promptly flipped them on eBay for $75.
Consumers for this merchandise fall inside two classes: collectors of oddities and people who merely can’t or received’t pay $900 to $1,200 for a brand new set of choppers.
2. Classic street maps
Highway maps are standard with crafters and collectors of oil and fuel memorabilia. Older maps with daring graphics promote notably nicely, as do maps from defunct firms like Conoco and Skelly.
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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 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
In the event you reside alongside a shoreline, hit the seaside. Surf-tumbled sea glass is a sizzling commodity amongst jewelry-makers and craftspeople.
Crimson, 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 previous steel license plates in your storage is value cash. In a cleansing frenzy one summer season, I liquidated 25 plates for $30 on Craigslist.
Consumers use license plates to embellish man caves, create artwork and build cool birdhouses.
Though there’s a market for all steel plates, severe collectors pay a premium for items which might be older, in good situation and from non-contiguous states (Alaska and Hawaii).
6. Vintage eyeglasses
Your great-grandmother’s pair of wire-framed eyeglasses are doubtless gold-filled, which makes them value $20-$40. Look for the abbreviation “GF” (gold-filled) preceded by a karat score.
Gold or not, classic cat-eye glasses from the Nineteen Fifties promote nicely, too. Retro fashionistas can pay $30-$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. At present, they’re a kitschy collectible.
Although collectors pay prime greenback for keychains from well-known locations reminiscent of The Dunes in Las Vegas, don’t low cost roadside dives. Count on every keychain to promote for $5 to $15 on eBay or Etsy.
8. Driftwood
Massive items of driftwood are utilized in landscaping, furnishings development, terrarium design and taxidermy initiatives. Easy kinds fetch $10 to $15, whereas greater, more-interesting shapes can deliver $30 and up.
A phrase of warning: Earlier than amassing driftwood on public land, test with native officers. Many areas prohibit the removing of any pure supplies.
9. Vintage keys
Normally manufactured 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 bought a number of vintage keys at a yard sale for $3 apiece. On-line, consumers can pay $10 to $15 for a single, distinctive key.
10. Massive pine cones
Correction Mother and Dad: Money does develop on bushes.
I’ve 5 massive pine bushes in my yard, and I’ll often collect and promote the biggest pine cones which have dropped to the bottom.
Decorators use pine cones as textural accent items. Vacation fans 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 previous favourite moisturizer, Complicated 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, test costs on-line.
12. Outdated espresso cups
Have a cabinet stuffed with espresso cups? Earlier than you declutter, test values.
Sure cups made by Hearth-King are sizzling with collectors. Look particularly for items manufactured 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 bunch of {dollars} on eBay and Etsy.
Hearth-King additionally manufactured cups manufactured from jadeite, an opaque inexperienced glass. Heavier jadeite items from Hearth-King’s Restaurant Ware line are notably useful. A single jadeite mug can promote for $35 to $40.
13. Fashionable paper foreign money
Yep, your cash is value cash. Fashionable payments that includes fancy serial numbers can promote for greater than face worth.
Test 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 might be very low (00000110) or very excessive (99999979)
14. Outdated yearbooks
Yearbooks enchantment to 3 audiences:
- Movie star memorabilia collectors scour previous yearbooks to seek out well-known names and signatures.
- Graduates of a selected college purchase yearbooks to reconnect with their historical past.
- Artists of all kinds use yearbooks to supply classic pictures and ads.
Values range relying on the 12 months and college. I as soon as bought a group of 4 not-so-spectacular yearbooks for $18, and I’ve seen a 1953 highschool yearbook containing Sandy Koufax’s senior photograph promote for $230 on eBay.
15. Rotary telephones
Although your grandkids in all probability don’t know the best way to use it, that rotary telephone packed away within the attic is value cash.
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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 pictures and postcards
Is there a shoebox stuffed with previous snapshots and postcards hiding beneath your mattress? It may be value a couple of dollars.
Classic pictures are used as house decor accent items and included 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 previous Smith Corona? Salvage the keys first! Vintage guide typewriter keys are repurposed by jewelry-makers, mosaic artists and scrapbookers.
A few years in the past, I eliminated 55 keys from two closely broken typewriters from the Forties. I bought the lot for $35 on Etsy.
