Beanie Babies
Ty Beanie Babies are one of those things that are hard to collect just one of. Once you get one, you want more. Kids loved them because of the bean stuffing instead of the usual fluff inside most plush toys. But in 1995, adults started buying them too, not just for fun but as an investment, since some were selling on eBay for ten times the original price. Once the craze died down though, so did the value.
The Majority Of Vinyl Records
Vinyl records never really went away. In 2017, Sony Entertainment announced it would start pressing them again, and interest has only grown since then, with some people calling it a “vinyl revival.” That said, most records out there aren’t worth much. It’s only rare, select vintage records that carry any real value, so don’t get your hopes up about that crate of records sitting in your basement without doing some research first.
Norman Rockwell Collector Plates
Norman Rockwell is one of the greatest painters and illustrators in American history. His work appeared on the covers of classics like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, and his Saturday Evening Post covers kept readers happy for nearly five decades. That said, if you’re thinking about buying Norman Rockwell collector plates, get them because you love them, not because you think they’ll make you money. Antique Trader values them at just $10 each, way down from the previous estimate of $50-75.
Pez Dispensers
Most Pez dispensers just aren’t worth much, usually only a buck or two each. Even the limited edition Elvis Presley collection only goes for around $9.20, so unless you’ve got a huge collection built up, don’t expect a big payday.
Pandora Charms
Pandora necklaces and bracelets first showed up in the early to mid-2000s and quickly became a big trend. They’re made to be layered and mixed together, with plenty of sparkle and personality. When certain pieces got discontinued, their value went up, but that only applies to a handful of rare charms. Buying Pandora charms as a general investment strategy really isn’t worth it.
Newer Star Wars Toys
Rare Star Wars toys from the 1970s can seriously pay off. Obscure figures like the “Yak Face,” also called “Joe Camel,” can go for thousands of dollars if you find the right buyer. Modern Star Wars toys are a different story though. Experts warn that mass-produced action figures from the ’90s and ’00s aren’t going to hold their value, so stockpiling baby Yodas probably isn’t the investment move you’re hoping for.
Royal Family Memorabilia
The British royal family is one of the most famous in the world, and big events like weddings, births, and jubilees always come with a flood of memorabilia. You’ll find faces on mugs, buttons, and even custom dolls. It’s fun stuff to hold onto, but mass-produced items like these aren’t going to be worth much down the line. If you want something that actually holds value, you need pieces that are rare and made in small quantities, not things churned out by the millions.
New Comic Books
Buying a stack of new comic books isn’t a smart investment. They lose their value the moment you walk out of the store, and unless something makes them special, no collector is going to pay more for them later. Old comics are a different story though. Books from the 1930s to the 1950s, when the big superheroes first showed up, can be worth insane money. Batman’s first appearance in Detective Comics sold for a record $2.8 million. But your average comic? Don’t count on it.
Stamps
Stamp collecting can be really misleading. Someone might “value” your collection at a solid number, but actual buyers just aren’t interested. A few older stamps in perfect condition can hold some value, but finding those is a needle in a haystack situation. Stamps are mass-produced, so most have little real worth. That’s tough to hear for older generations who were told to carefully preserve their collections because they’d be worth good money someday.
Pogs
If you grew up in the 90s or knew someone who did, there’s a good chance there’s a stash of Pogs somewhere in the house. Most people were more into collecting them than actually playing the game that came with them. That same logic applies to holding onto them for the money too, because the reality is most collections only fetch around $10 if you even find a buyer, and individual Pogs go for about $1, which doesn’t even cover shipping.
Antique Silverware
Passing down silverware and china as family heirlooms is a long-standing tradition, and silver is often given as a housewarming or wedding gift. If a piece has sentimental value, it’s worth holding onto. If you’re thinking about selling vintage silver on eBay or similar sites, be prepared for disappointment as there are so many other antique sets listed that the competition drives the value way down.
Porcelain Dolls
Porcelain and ceramic dolls are popular with collectors, often tied to fond childhood memories. Some collectors even dedicate an entire room to displaying them since they take up more space than most collectibles. But if you’re hoping to make money, that room would be better off as a rental. Outside of a few rare exceptions, most of these dolls sell for no more than $10.
Model Train Sets
There are tons of hobby websites and clubs dedicated to model train sets, especially Lionel collections. But when it comes to resale value, they’re really not worth investing in. Some collectors get their hopes up seeing a rare piece sell for good money, like the Howard Gondola listed on eBay for $1,175, but that’s the exception. In reality, the market is flooded with hundreds of listings of entire vintage model train sets in good condition selling for around $100.
Barbie Dolls
Barbie dolls came out in 1959 and 50 years later they’re still one of the most popular toys around. If you’ve got an original 1959 Barbie in mint condition, you could be looking at $25,000. But for most people, their Barbie collection isn’t worth much. Because so many were mass-produced, they’re easy to find, which keeps the value low. Most Barbies listed on eBay sell for somewhere between $10 and $20 in the box.
Vintage Playboy Magazines
Playboy has been around since 1953 and has a pretty interesting history, whatever your reason for picking one up. Some of the most memorable issues featured cover girls like Donna Michelle, Ursula Andress, and Darine Stern. If you have a first edition or anything printed before 1970, it might actually be worth some money. Anything after that was mass-produced, so you’re better off displaying it on a shelf than expecting it to pay off.
Precious Moments
Precious Moments figurines have been a staple in American homes for decades, collected and gifted since the brand launched in 1978. The porcelain pieces all center around an angel named Timmy, and today there are over a dozen different collections. That said, they’re not a great investment. They’re mass-produced, and at any given time there are hundreds listed on eBay. Really, nostalgia and charm are all they bring to the table.
Cabbage Patch Kids
Back in the late 1970s when Cabbage Patch Kids first came out, parents were literally fighting each other in stores to get their hands on them. They sold for around $30 retail and were huge throughout the 1980s. The problem is, most of them today aren’t worth much because kids actually played with them, so they’re in no condition to sell for any real money.
Baseball Cards
Baseball cards bring back a ton of childhood memories for a lot of people. There’s something genuinely satisfying about holding a little piece of baseball history in your hands, so if they mean something to you, just keep them. Selling them isn’t going to make you rich anyway. A 1989 Ken Griffey Jr. card only goes for around $100, and Mark McGwire’s card is worth just $10, which barely buys you anything these days.
Funko Figurines
Funko figurines have been around since 1998 and were made specifically to be collected. They’re cute, come in a huge range of movie and cartoon characters, and are the perfect size for a desk or shelf. That said, it’s still too early to put any real value on them as collectibles, so it’s probably not the best idea to spend a lot of money on them just yet.
Hummel Figurines
American GIs stationed in West Germany during World War II started sending Hummel figurines back home, and they eventually became a hugely popular souvenir with prices shooting up in the 1970s. That demand is long gone though. Mike Rivkin, owner of Antique Galleries of Palm Springs, puts it bluntly: “Traditional collectibles like Hummel figurines are virtually unsellable today. We direct people looking to sell such items to nearby thrift shops. There’s simply no market.”
Vintage Band T-Shirts
With vintage band shirts, there’s really only one category that’s worth selling. Even if your Eagles tee is in perfect condition and 40 years old, buyers just aren’t going to pay much for it. A rare Queen tour shirt from 1978 is listed at $9.49 on eBay, which tells you everything. There are exceptions for shirts that are truly rare and historically significant, but even then you need to find the right buyer. Most concert tees from the ’70s won’t even cover your shipping costs.
Film Cameras
Most people shoot with digital cameras or their phones these days, so you might think old film cameras would at least have some nostalgic value. Not really, according to Daniel Kalter of Lincoln Square Pawnbrokers. He says people bring in film cameras from the ’70s and ’80s that are worth basically nothing. He’s got trays full of them collecting dust, the only buyers are usually after parts, and the film itself typically costs more than the camera.
VHS And DVD Collections
Just like with film cameras, you’d think old VHS and DVD players would be worth something since they’re disappearing, but they’re really not. People held onto their old tapes and discs, so there’s no shortage of them out there. The only ones that might fetch any money are very specific niche collections, and even then, don’t expect much.
Morgan Dollars
Morgan dollars were hugely popular silver coins back in the late 19th century and again in the 1920s, but that popularity came at a cost. So many of them were made that the value never really took off, making them one of the most common silver dollars you can own. They’re worth more than a dollar, sure, but not much beyond the silver content itself.
Indian Head Pennies
Indian Head pennies were one-cent coins made by the U.S. Bureau of the Mint from 1859 to 1909, designed by James Barton Longacre, who was the Chief Engraver at the Philadelphia Mint. They got pretty popular after the war, but with over 100 million produced by 1907, the value dropped a lot. In 1901, Victor D. Brenner designed the Lincoln cent, which eventually replaced the Indian Head design.
Happy Meal Toys
McDonald’s has been including toys with Happy Meals since the 1970s. Some of them have sold for hundreds of dollars, but realistically most people never held onto full sets like all “101 Dalmatians.” On top of that, for a toy to actually be worth money, it pretty much needs to be in mint condition, still in its packaging, and ideally with the Happy Meal box too. Good luck finding one of the most sought after toys that checks all three of those boxes.
“Brown” Furniture
Brown furniture refers to antique pieces that are typically dark-stained and sturdy, think cabinets, bed frames, dining tables, and similar items. Unless something has serious historical significance, like a piece tied to George Washington’s death, ordinary 19th and 20th century furniture really isn’t worth much these days. What actually holds value now is art deco and midcentury modern, and brown furniture has largely fallen off.
Children’s Books
Most children’s books are easy to find pretty much anywhere, so there’s not much money in selling them. Even if some parents will pay a bit extra for a nostalgic title, the only way you’re really going to make good money is if you happen to have a rare first edition, which most people don’t.
Vintage College Pennants
Most people assume their grandparents’ old college pennants from schools like Harvard or Yale are worth big money, but that’s usually not the case. These things are pretty much only meaningful to the person who owned them. Hardly anyone wants to buy a stranger’s old pennant, especially if they never went to that school or it’s from way before their time there.
Hot Wheels
Most Hot Wheels cars from Mattel aren’t worth much today, mainly because so many were made and most got heavily played with. A few specialty cars in mint condition have sold for decent money, but a lot of the earliest ones still go for just a few bucks.
Autographed Sports Memorabilia
Getting autographed sports memorabilia can be worth a lot, but the whole process has become expensive and time-consuming. If you’re trying to sell something like a baseball signed by Babe Ruth, good luck finding a buyer who actually believes you. On top of that, so many mass-produced items with player signatures have flooded the market over the years that they just don’t carry the same value they once did.
Cookie Jars
Andy Warhol collected cookie jars and his collection sold for around a quarter of a million dollars in the late 1980s, but that’s not something most people can count on. For the average person, cookie jars are a pretty niche item with a small collector base, and most of them, even older ones, will only fetch a few dollars to maybe fifty bucks.
Souvenir Bells
Collecting porcelain or metal bells from places you visited used to be a really popular thing. People would bring them back from trips, but eventually they’d just sit there gathering dust. These days you can find them online for just a few dollars, and honestly that’s probably all they’re worth. Not many people are into collecting these anymore.
Salt And Pepper Shakers
A lot of people collect salt and pepper shakers, whether to display them or remember places they’ve visited. But unlike some collectibles, they don’t tend to hold much value, especially once they’ve been used. A recent lot of unique shakers sold on eBay for no more than $40, which was probably a lot less than what they originally cost.
Old Playbills
Most people hold onto playbills as a memory of a show they saw or their first time at a Broadway theater, but honestly they’re not worth much else. Since the internet came along, their value has dropped a lot. A 1964 playbill for “Funny Girl” featuring Barbara Streisand might have once sold for $350 or more, but today you’d probably only get about $10 for it.
Thomas Kinkade Collectibles
When most famous artists die, their work shoots up in value. But that wasn’t the case for Thomas Kinkade, known as the “Painter of Light.” He produced so many paintings during his career that after his death in 2012, The Guardian reported his work could be found in one in twenty U.S. homes, and many of his paintings sell for under $20.
Hess Trucks
Most Hess trucks from the 1960s got played with hard, broken, or lost, which is pretty much what happened to every kid’s toy back then. If you somehow have the very first one from 1964 in perfect condition, Antiques Almanac says it could be worth up to $2,500, but that’s a long shot. Chances are whatever old Hess truck you have sitting around will go for under $40, even with all the collectors out there.
License Plates
Some collectors love hunting down license plates from different states, especially rare ones with an interesting history or discontinued designs. But if you’re hoping to cash in, don’t get your hopes up. License plates are easy to come by, which keeps their value low, similar to stamp collections. Even a full set of all 50 states isn’t that hard to find. According to Autoweek, the average vintage license plate is worth about $30.
Vintage Pins
Vintage pins are really fun to collect because there’s so much variety out there, and it’s enjoyable just to dig through them, appreciate their history, or get a laugh out of them. That said, they don’t hold much value. Even special anniversary pins from sports teams, the military, or vintage brands typically sell for only $5 to $12 online. The only ones worth real money are the extremely rare ones, like certain ultra-rare Disney pins that can go for $4,000. So if you’re hoping to flip them for profit, it’s probably not worth it.
Vintage College Clothing
College clothing and pennants are really only worth keeping around if they mean something to you personally, because they’re not worth much financially. A sweatshirt might fetch $30 at most on eBay, which isn’t exactly a big payday. And if you picked something up from a vintage store thinking you scored a deal, you probably didn’t, though at least you walked away with something trendy.
Wheat Pennies
Wheat pennies might look interesting with those wheat stalks on them, but don’t get too excited. Yes, they’ve gone up in value a bit over the years, but you’re still only looking at a few dollars at most. Unlike actual rare pennies or mint misprints that can be worth a fortune, wheat pennies just aren’t worth hunting down.
Costume Jewelry
Most costume jewelry doesn’t hold much value because it was made in massive quantities to keep up with trends. When something like long necklaces got popular, hundreds of thousands of them were produced at once, so they’re easy to find today and rarely worth much. The one exception is if you have a piece signed by a high-end designer.
Farm Tools
Old farm tools might seem like they’d be worth something, but honestly they’re not. They had a moment as trendy decor, which led to a flood of cheap reproductions hitting the market, and now that look is out of style, leaving a lot of them sitting unsold. If you’ve got an old pitchfork or pair of shears collecting dust, you’d be lucky to walk away with $50 for it.
Unremarkable Vintage Clothing
Most vintage clothing you come across just isn’t worth much, even if it came from grandma’s closet. If it’s not a recognizable designer, doesn’t have any standout details, and the style isn’t trending again, collectors aren’t going to care. The people willing to pay top dollar for vintage pieces are pretty picky, so that old blue dress you found is probably not going to fetch much.
Disney VHS Tapes
Most VHS tapes aren’t worth much, and your old copy of The Little Mermaid is no exception. Even the so-called “Black Diamond Collection” of Disney VHS tapes isn’t as valuable as people hope, with most selling for around $5. Sure, you might find someone willing to overpay, but that’s pretty rare.
Pokémon Cards
Back when Pokémon was at its peak, trading cards were selling for thousands of dollars. Nintendo deliberately made certain cards rare and special, which sent their value through the roof. These days though, that bubble has pretty much burst. Pokémon is still hugely popular, and a handful of extremely rare cards can still fetch decent money, but if you wanted to cash in, the 90s was the time to do it. The market is now flooded with Pokémon products, which has really dragged down resale value for collectors.
Old Newspapers
Old newspapers can be a fascinating look into history, but that doesn’t mean they’re worth a lot of money. Since newspapers were always mass-produced, you should never pay too much for them. On top of that, reproductions flood the market and make it harder to authenticate older ones. As one property appraiser points out, the only ones that might actually hold value are first editions of iconic prints.
iPods And Other MP3 Players
Most iPods and MP3 players aren’t worth much right now, and honestly they may never be. So many millions of iPods were made that the supply is just too high for prices to really climb. If you’re holding onto one hoping it’ll be worth something someday, you can keep waiting, but don’t get too excited. On auction sites, iPod Nanos are only going for up to $69, which isn’t exactly a big payoff.
Patchwork Quilts
Patchwork quilts feel nostalgic and one-of-a-kind, so you’d think they’d be worth a lot to collectors. Surprisingly, that’s mostly not the case. The ones that do hold real value are typically from the 19th century and in good condition, which aren’t all that easy to find. Your average patchwork quilt sitting at home probably isn’t going to fetch much.